Streets turned into rivers as Typhoon Gaemi sweeps through the Philippines

Taiwan remained largely shut down for a second day Thursday with flights canceled and financial markets, schools and offices closed as heavy rainfall continued to pummel the island. Some mountainous regions have reported up to 1,219 mm (48 inches) of rain. A cargo ship carrying nine crew sank off Taiwan’s coast in rough seas on Thursday, according to the island’s fire agency. The Tanzanian registered vessel sank around 20 miles off the coast of the southern port city of Kaohsiung and was not equipped with a lifeboat. All the crew members “fell into the sea and were floating there” wearing life jackets, Hsiao Huan-chang, the head of the fire agency, said in a news conference.