15 killed in Philippines landslides as Typhoon Bavi wreaks havoc

At least 15 people were killed in landslides in the Philippines as Typhoon Bavi moved closer to Taiwan on Friday, prompting large-scale evacuations, transport disruptions and emergency preparations across the region.The storm, described by Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) as the largest typhoon to affect the island in more than three decades, is expected to batter northern and eastern Taiwan through Friday and Saturday before making landfall in eastern China. It is also forecast to affect Japan's remote southwestern islands.In the Philippines, two landslides triggered by heavy rain associated with Typhoon Bavi killed at least 15 people and left six others missing on the southern island of Mindanao, authorities said.In Taiwan, more than 2,000 people, most of them from the mountainous eastern county of Hualien, were evacuated as officials monitored the risk of flooding, landslides and damage to barrier dams, according to news agency AFP.The CWA said Bavi's maximum sustained…