Fierce winds, pounding rain and tough seas battered southern China on Wednesday (September 24, 2025) as highly effective Typhoon Ragasa made landfall in Guangdong province after killing at the very least 14 in Taiwan.
Ragasa churned into Guangdong, dwelling to tens of hundreds of thousands of individuals, with winds as much as 145 kilometres per hour (90 miles per hour).
AFP journalists on the affect level in the town of Yangjiang noticed flying particles and gusts ripping ads off buildings.
The storm had swept previous Hong Kong, with the densely populated metropolis’s climate service rating the storm the strongest but in the northwestern Pacific this yr.
Ragasa’s passage in Taiwan killed at the very least 14 and injured 46 when a decades-old barrier lake burst in japanese Hualien county, in keeping with regional officers who late Wednesday revised the dying toll down from 17 after eliminating duplicate instances.
Authorities initially mentioned 152 individuals have been unaccounted for, however later made contact with greater than 100 of them and have been nonetheless making an attempt to substantiate the precise variety of lacking.
(*14*)Sheltering
Around 1,200 individuals have been making ready to spend a second night time in shelters after the flood.
“Comfortable or not … being safe is enough, it doesn’t matter where we sleep,” Kaniw . Looh, a church elder, 64, advised AFP.
More than 7,600 individuals have been evacuated resulting from Ragasa and photographs launched by the hearth company confirmed flooded streets, half-submerged automobiles and uprooted timber.
Authorities throughout mainland China ordered companies and colleges to close down in at the very least 10 cities throughout the nation’s south, affecting tens of hundreds of thousands of individuals.
Nearly 2.2 million individuals throughout Guangdong had been relocated as of 4 pm Wednesday (0800 GMT), state information company Xinhua mentioned.
The storm made landfall alongside the coast of Hailing Island, close to Yangjiang metropolis round 5 pm, Chinese meteorologists mentioned.
Ferocious winds destroyed fences and downed timber, scattering branches on the bottom.
The usually busy Yangjiang prepare station stood empty, with rail journey suspended Wednesday throughout Guangdong.
For a number of hours, the highly effective storm shook buildings as sheets of rain poured down on the town.
Fire vans drove by largely abandoned streets as winds whipped branches alongside the street and toppled motorbikes parked alongside the pavement.
Chinese authorities earmarked the equal of about $49.2 million to assist rescue and aid work in areas hit by Typhoon Ragasa, Xinhua mentioned.
(*14*)Hong Kong battered
Hong Kong authorities mentioned 90 individuals have been handled at public hospitals for accidents sustained in the course of the storm interval as of Wednesday night.
More than 860 individuals sought refuge at 50 momentary shelters throughout the town.
The Chinese finance hub recorded a whole lot of fallen timber and flooding in a number of neighbourhoods. Many of the town’s tall buildings swayed and rattled in the tough winds.
At the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel, subsequent to a theme park, a person was seen dropping his steadiness after a storm surge shattered the glass entrance doorways and swept into its foyer, in keeping with a video circulated on-line and verified by AFP.
A resort spokesperson mentioned there have been no accidents.
Floodwaters rushed into the seaside Heng Fa Chuen residential property and submerged its inside courtyards, one other video clip confirmed.
“It’s like the end of the world… I never expected to see it as bad as this,” mentioned IT supervisor Paul Yendle close to a closely broken restaurant in the Tseung Kwan O space.
The Airport Authority mentioned “only a limited number of cargo flights” have been scheduled for Wednesday, with its web site itemizing a whole lot of cancelled passenger flights.
A five-year-old boy and his mom fell into the ocean on Tuesday afternoon whereas they have been watching the waves in the Chai Wan district, in keeping with police.
Both have been rushed to hospital and the mom remained in crucial situation on Wednesday morning.
The on line casino hub of Macau — which additionally noticed widespread flooding — has suspended energy to some low-lying areas, in keeping with utility firm CEM.
The storm trampled components of the northern Philippines earlier this week and killed at the very least eight individuals, together with seven fishermen.
Scientists warn that storms have gotten extra highly effective because the world warms because of the results of human-driven local weather change.
Published – September 25, 2025 02:40 am IST