Philippines battles oil spill as typhoon kills 25, hits China
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The news: Typhoon Gaemi hit mainland China after wreaking havoc in Taiwan and the Philippines, killing at least 25 people and sinking an oil tanker and a cargo ship.
The numbers: The MT Terra Nova, a marine tanker carrying 1,494 metric tonnes (1.5 million litres) of industrial fuel, sank off Limay, Bataan on Thursday, resulting in an oil spill and the death of one crew member. Sixteen of the seventeen crew were rescued, Reuters reported citing Philippine officials. The Philippines reported at least 21 fatalities from flooding and landslides.
In Taiwan, the heaviest rainfall in eight years resulted in three deaths and rescue officials were still searching for six missing sailors from a cargo ship that sank off the southern coast the Taiwan Strait, one the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
In China, the highest disaster warning was issued as Gaemi approached, relocating over 150,000 residents in Fujian province.
The context: Before making landfall earlier in the week, Gaemi intensified over Pacific waters at their highest recorded temperatures, with scientists attributing the hot temperatures to human-induced climate change.
Though weakened, the typhoon is bringing heavy rainfall to Fujian and is expected to do so even in northern provinces in China, including the already drenched Henan, Shanxi and Hebei.
Meanwhile, efforts to combat the oil spill in the Philippines were being hindered by the dangerous weather conditions, with a four-kilometre oil slick posing a severe threat to the marine and Manila's environment.
What they said: Philippine coast guard spokesperson Armando Balilo said a 97-metre coast guard vessel was deployed to manage the oil spill. Smaller vessels were waiting for calmer weather before setting sail.
"We are racing against time. We will do our best to contain the fuel," Balilo said. He added the waters where the ship sank is close to Manila and there was a "big danger" the spill could reach the capital.
The sources: Reuters, Associated Press, CNN
