Super Typhoon Ragasa slams Asia: Deadly floods in Taiwan, destruction in Philippines, chaos in Hong Kong

Typhoon Ragasa, one of the strongest storms to hit Asia in years, has whipped waves taller than lampposts onto Hong Kong promenades after leaving deadly destruction in Taiwan and the Philippines.

In Taiwan, 14 people died after floods submerged roads and carried away vehicles in one county, and 10 deaths were reported in the northern Philippines, officials said.

At least 33 people are still missing in Taiwan, a figure that had hit 152 on Wednesday, as the government searches for people reported out of contact.

In China, nearly two million people were relocated across Guangdong province, the southern Chinese economic powerhouse.

A weather station in Chuandao town recorded maximum gusts of 241km/h, a high in Jiangmen city since record-keeping began.

State broadcaster CCTV said the typhoon made landfall along the coast of Hailing Island in Yangjiang city, packing maximum winds of 144km/h.

Violent winds battered trees and buildings, with torrential rain lowering visibility, video from China’s state-run Xinhua news agency showed.

The typhoon is forecast to keep moving west, prompting the suspension of some train services in the Gunagxi region on Thursday. Chinese officials allocated tens of millions of dollars for relief efforts.

Schools, factories and transportation services were initially suspended in about a dozen cities, but a few of them, distant from the landfall location, were preparing to resume work as winds weakened.

The fierce winds, brought by Ragasa, woke Hong Kong residents in the early hours, and many went online to describe scenes like a kitchen ventilation fan being blown down and a crane swaying.

Strong winds blew away parts of a pedestrian bridge’s roof and knocked down hundreds of trees across the city. A vessel crashed into the shore, shattering a row of glass railings along the waterfront.

Areas around some rivers and promenades in Hong Kong were flooded, including cycling lanes and playgrounds. At several promenade restaurants, furniture was scattered chaotically by the winds. 90 injured people were treated at hospitals.

A video that showed waves of water crashing through the doors of a hotel and flooding its interiors went viral in the financial hub. The hotel has not immediately commented on the incident.

Hong Kong and Macau, a nearby casino hub, cancelled schools and flights, with many shops closed. Hundreds of people sought refuge in temporary centres in each city.

Streets in Macau turned into streams with debris floating on the water. Rescue crews deployed inflatable boats to save those who were trapped. The gambling city’s local electricity supplier suspended its power supply in some flooded, low-lying areas for safety. As the winds eased, some waded into flooded streets to catch fish.

Hong Kong’s observatory said Ragasa had maximum sustained winds near the centre of about 195km/h and skirted around 100km to the south of the city.

The observatory said Ragasa is the strongest tropical cyclone in the northwestern Pacific and South China Sea region so far this year.

Preliminary analysis showed it also ranks as the second-strongest one in the South China Sea region since the observatory’s record-keeping began in 1950, tying with typhoons Saola in 2023 and Yagi in 2024.

with AP and EFE