Asian breaking news, Super Typhoon Ragasa, the year’s strongest storm, has left at least 27 dead as it swept across Taiwan, the Philippines, and southern China. The gigantic storm carried winds of as much as 241 kilometres per hour and resulted in fatal flooding and destruction throughout the region. The latest news reports that close to 2 million individuals in China had to flee their homes as the typhoon headed west towards Vietnam after making landfall in southern Guangdong province on Wednesday afternoon.
China’s weather office named Ragasa the “King of Storms” due to its tremendous power and magnitude. The typhoon was created over warm ocean waters in the Western Pacific earlier this month and rapidly intensified to a super typhoon with peak sustained winds of 265 kilometres per hour by Monday. Meteorologists define storms as super typhoons when they sustain winds of at least 241 kilometres per hour for one minute consecutively.
Taiwan Lake Burst Kills 17 People in Fatal Flooding
The worst devastation occurred in Taiwan’s eastern Hualien County, where Typhoon Ragasa ruptured a barrier lake and unleashed water into the adjacent Guangfu township. The muddy water destroyed a bridge and converted roads into torrential rivers that swept away cars and furniture. At least 17 people were killed in these floods, and officials are still looking for another 17 missing individuals.
More than half of Guangfu’s roughly 8,450 residents had to climb to higher floors of their homes or move to higher ground on Wednesday morning to escape the rising waters. In the northern Philippines, seven fishermen drowned when their boat was hit by huge waves and strong winds that flipped it over on Monday near Santa Ana town in northern Cagayan province. At least three other individuals were killed in the area, and five fishermen remain missing.
Storm Drives Nearly 2 Million Chinese Out of Homes
In China, Typhoon Ragasa compelled close to 1.9 million people to flee from the southern Guangdong province ahead of the storm’s arrival. Schools, manufacturing plants, and public transportation services closed in around a dozen cities in an effort to protect people from the threatening winds and floods. The storm had the highest wind gusts of 241 kilometres per hour in the city of Jiangmen before it began to dissipate as it traveled inland.
In Hong Kong, at least 80 people were injured as the typhoon’s powerful winds toppled hundreds of trees around the city. Approximately 700 flights were cancelled, stranding thousands of passengers. Water had burst through the doors of one oceanside hotel and washed guests off their feet, as evidenced on video footage. By Wednesday evening, Hong Kong weather officials lowered Ragasa from a super typhoon to a severe typhoon as its top sustained winds weakened to 175 kilometres per hour.
FAQS
1. How many fatalities resulted from Typhoon Ragasa?
At least 27 people were killed in Taiwan, the Philippines, and China from the storm.
2. How quickly were the winds of the typhoon?
The storm peaked at 265 km/h as a super typhoon and reached gusts of 241 km/h.
3. How many Chinese were evacuated?
Close to 1.9 million were evacuated from the southern province of Guangdong.
4. Why was this typhoon dangerous?
It developed over extremely warm ocean waters and became the year’s strongest storm globally.
5. Where is the typhoon going now?
The storm is heading west over southern China towards Vietnam while further weakening.
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