Typhoon Ragasa, the most powerful storm to strike the northwestern Pacific this year, has killed dozens in Taiwan and the Philippines, displaced nearly two million people in southern China, and caused widespread damage in Hong Kong and Macao.
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Ragasa made landfall Wednesday on Hailing Island in Yangjiang, Guangdong province, bringing winds of 144 kph (89 mph), according to state broadcaster CCTV. Earlier, the storm passed about 100 kilometers south of Hong Kong, where the observatory recorded sustained winds of 195 kph (120 mph). In Chuandao town, gusts reached 241 kph (150 mph)—the strongest on record in Jiangmen city.
Authorities in Guangdong evacuated 1.9 million people. Zhuhai’s coastline was pounded by waves, while torrential rains uprooted trees and scattered debris. Schools, factories, and transport services were suspended in multiple cities.
In Hong Kong, Ragasa’s winds tore parts of a pedestrian bridge, toppled hundreds of trees, and drove a vessel into the shore, shattering glass railings along a waterfront. Floodwaters submerged promenades, cycling paths, and restaurants. More than 80 people were treated for injuries. Viral footage showed water surging into a hotel lobby, damaging its exterior as staff cleared debris.
Macao also suspended flights and schools, with hundreds seeking shelter in emergency centers. Flooded streets forced rescue teams to deploy inflatable boats, and electricity was cut in low-lying neighborhoods for safety.
The Hong Kong Observatory said Ragasa is the strongest cyclone in the region this year and the second-most intense storm in the South China Sea since records began in 1950, tied with Typhoons Saola in 2023 and Yagi in 2024.
Before reaching China, Ragasa left destruction in Taiwan and the Philippines. In Taiwan’s Hualien County, 15 people were killed after a barrier lake overflowed, sweeping away a bridge and turning Guangfu township’s roads into rivers. Thirty-two people were injured, while more than half of the town’s 8,450 residents sought higher ground. Rescue teams contacted over 100 people previously unreachable and continued checking on the remaining 17 residents.
In the northern Philippines, at least 10 people died, including seven fishermen whose boat capsized off Santa Ana in Cagayan province. Five others remain missing. Nearly 700,000 people were affected nationwide, with 25,000 taking refuge in government shelters.
As Ragasa moves westward, communities across East Asia face recovery amid recurring storms of increasing intensity, underscoring the vulnerability of coastal populations across the region.
