Typhoon Mangkhut roared toward densely populated Hong Kong and southern China yesterday after ravaging across the northern Philippines with ferocious winds and heavy rain that left at least 28 dead in landslides and collapsed houses.
The strongest storm so far this year in the world sliced across the northern tip of Luzon Island on Saturday, a breadbasket that is also a region of flood-prone rice plains and mountain provinces with a history of deadly landslides. More than 5 million people were in the path of the typhoon, equivalent to a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane when it hit the Philippines. Yesterday, it packed sustained winds of 155km/h and gusts of 190km/h.
Hong Kong and southern China issued the highest storm signals. The Guangdong provincial office in charge of flood prevention said yesterday that nearly half a million people had been evacuated from seven cities.
The Hong Kong Observatory said although Mangkhut had weakened slightly, its extensive, intense rain bands were bringing heavy downfall and frequent squalls.
A storm surge of about 3 metres or higher is expected at the city's waterfront Victoria Harbour, the observatory said, appealing to the public to avoid the shoreline.
