Typhoon Usagi Hits Southern China and Hong Kong

At least 25 people were killed after Typhoon Usagi made landfall in southern China's Guangdong province, state media reported on Monday (September 23).

The victims included people hit by debris and others who drowned. One man was killed by a falling window pane, state-run Xinhua news agency said.

About 226,000 people were relocated, and over 3.56 million affected after Usagi struck the province on Sunday night (September 22) local time, said Xinhua, citing local authorities.

Usagi, the strongest storm to hit the Western Pacific this year, uprooted trees and caused flooding and gale force winds, state television CCTV showed.

Air and ground transportation was halted and local governments also ordered schools in 14 cities to close, CCTV said.

The typhoon also caused 7,100 houses to collapse and crippled power supplies for hundreds of thousands of homes, causing economic losses worth 3.24 billion yuan ($529.5 million) in Guangdong, Xinhua reported.

The storm warning remained in force early on Monday, with financial markets closed for at least part of the morning.

Despite earlier warnings the typhoon could pose a severe risk to the Asian financial centre, the city suffered only minimal damage, including around 70 cases of toppled trees. There were no fatalities in the city.

More than 370 flights were cancelled and at least 76 delayed. At least 17 people were injured in Hong Kong, CCTV said.

Although most public transportation came to a standstill, many still made their way to the city's iconic harbour to experience the storm.

Chinese meteorological authorities said Usagi, which weakened to a tropical storm, is expected to hit neighbouring Guangxi province by noon on Monday, said CCTV.

Presented by Adam Justice