HONG KONG/SHENZHEN – Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, made landfall in southern China on Wednesday after killing 15 people in Taiwan and lashing Hong Kong with ferocious winds and heavy rains.
In Taiwan’s eastern Hualien county, 17 people remained missing after a barrier lake overflowed and sent a wall of water into a town, the fire department said on Wednesday. Ragasa’s outer rim has drenched the island since Monday.
Many residents in the tourist town of Guangfu complained there was insufficient warning from authorities, usually used to moving people out of potential danger zones swiftly as the island is frequently hit by typhoons.
As rains inundated Taiwan, Hong Kong grappled with huge waves that crashed over areas of the Asian financial hub’s eastern and southern shoreline. The water rushed along pavements and submerged some roads and residential properties.
At the Fullerton hotel on the island’s south, videos on social media showed seawater surging through glass doors. Calls to the property remained unanswered on Wednesday.
China’s marine authority issued its highest red wave warning for the first time this year, forecasting storm surges of up to 2.8 metres (9 feet) in parts of Guangdong province, as Ragasa charges towards the densely populated Pearl River Delta.
Ragasa formed over the Western Pacific last week. Fuelled by warm seas and favourable atmospheric conditions, the tropical cyclone rapidly intensified to become a Category 5 super typhoon on Monday with winds exceeding 260 kph (162 mph).
It has since weakened to a Category 3 typhoon, still capable of bringing down trees and power lines, shattering windows and damaging buildings. (Reuters)
A man holds an umbrella as he wades through a flooded area, in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Ragasa in Hong Kong, China, September 24, 2025. (Reuters)
