At least 17 people were killed and Asian megacities brought to a halt as Super Typhoon Ragasa churned towards China, with its outer bands wreaking havoc in Taiwan and the Philippines.
The storm, the world’s strongest this year so far, left hundreds of flights cancelled, schools shut, and supermarket shelves empty in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and many Chinese cities.
On Tuesday, a barrier lake in Taiwan burst its banks following torrential rains from Super Typhoon Ragasa, officials said.
The lake, formed by landslides in Hualien county after downpours, sent a wall of water crashing into Guangfu township, killing 14 people and leaving over a hundred missing.
Waves as tall as lampposts lashed promenades in Hong Kong as the roads remained deserted on Wednesday morning. The storm’s outer bands passed over the city on starting Tuesday night.
Nearly 1.9 million people were relocated across Guangdong province, the southern Chinese economic powerhouse.
Ragasa is expected to remain in the South China Sea at least into Wednesday, passing south of Taiwan and Hong Kong before making landfall on the Chinese mainland.
China’s National Meteorological Centre said the typhoon would make landfall in the coastal region between Zhuhai and Zhanjiang cities in Guangdong province between midday and evening on Wednesday.
Earlier, Ragasa lashed the the Philippines with heavy rainfall, triggering flooding and landslides that killed at least three people, injured many and left thousands displaced.
People were seen wading through flooded roads in the Pampanga and Cagayan province in the Philippines where gale force winds also toppled trees and electric poles.
The typhoon also triggered landslides that damaged houses and roads.
Ragasa, the strongest storm this year, was packing maximum sustained winds near the centre of about 137mph, Hong Kong’s observatory said, adding that it was expected to move west-northwest at about 14mph across South China Sea’s northern part.
The typhoon’s expected path takes it towards the coast of Guangdong province, an economic powerhouse in southern China.
Footage from areas hit by the storm show residents taking preventive measures by putting sandbags and barriers at their doors and taping windows and glass doors to lessen its winds.
In Hong Kong, hundreds of flights were cancelled as Shenzhen airport authorities said they would halt all flights from Tuesday night, when the storm was likely to intensify in the region.
Macao evacuated residents and tourists in several areas and closed bridges on Tuesday, as Ragasa passed within 62 miles to the south of the city on Wednesday morning.
