Clean-up operations are underway across southern China and Hong Kong after Super Typhoon Ragasa, the most powerful tropical cyclone this year, caused widespread flooding and damage. The storm left at least 25 dead in Taiwan and the Philippines before battering the Chinese coast.
In Hong Kong, international flights resumed on Thursday but kindergartens and some schools remained closed. More than 100 people were injured in the territory. In Guangdong province, over 2 million people were evacuated ahead of the storm, and crews used excavators to clear thousands of toppled trees and unblock roads.
Social media footage showed residents in Macau fishing in flooded streets, using nets and dustpans to catch fish swept away by the storm. In Hong Kong, a storm surge smashed through the glass doors of an upmarket hotel, flooding its lobby. State broadcaster CCTV reported that more than 50,000 trees were destroyed in Yangjiang, while in Zhuhai, rescuers used inflatable boats to reach stranded residents.
More than 56,000 households in Guangdong lost power by Wednesday night. Ragasa has since weakened into a tropical storm but still poses a heavy rain threat to China, Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia. Vietnam's prime minister has ordered officials to protect infrastructure, secure fishing vessels and prepare search and rescue operations, with some flights cancelled or rescheduled.
