At least 14 people have been killed in an area of Taiwan popular with tourists after Super Typhoon Ragasa lashed the island nation, with Hong Kong and mainland China braced for impact.
The powerful storm – the strongest in years – has forced thousands to flee their homes, with flights cancelled and schools and businesses shuttered.
At least four more people were reported to have been killed in the Philippines, where nearly 700,000 people were affected by the super typhoon in the main northern region of Luzon.
The deaths in Taiwan were reported in the eastern Taiwanese county of Hualien, with 124 people also missing after a town, Guangfu, was flooded by a deluge from a barrier lake which burst its banks.
Taiwan’s fire department said all the fatalities and missing people are from Guangfu.
One resident, a postman who gave his family name as Hsieh, told Reuters news agency the water hit like a “tsunami” which swept his car into his living room.
Elsewhere, Dama, a village of around 1,000 people, has been completely flooded.
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Its chieftain, Wang Tse-an, told Reuters many locals are still stranded there, adding: “It’s chaotic now. There are mud and rocks everywhere.”
Ragasa is set to hit China’s Guangdong province, where more than 370,000 residents have been evacuated, today, while Hong Kong’s storm level is at its highest level of 10.
People have been warned of hurricane-force winds of well over 120mph in some parts of the financial hub.
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