Ragasa super typhoon live: Most powerful storm of 2025 makes landfall in China after two million evacuated – UK Times

Typhoon Ragasa has made landfall close to Yangjiang in southern China, crossing the mainland coast at around 5pm local time (9am GMT) with sustained winds of 144kmph.

At the time of landfall Ragasa is no longer a super typhoon, having slowly weakened since it moved into waters off Guangdong.

The Hong Kong Observatory downgraded it from a super typhoon to severe typhoon earlier, with sustained winds of about 175kmph near the centre.

Despite losing some of its strength, it is still capable of bringing down trees and power lines, shattering windows and damaging buildings.

The storm will continue moving inland and its intensity will decrease but rainfall is expected to last for a few days.

China’s marine authority has issued its highest “red” wave warning for the first time this year, forecasting storm surges of up to 2.8 metres (9 feet) in parts of Guangdong province, as Ragasa is about to make landfall at the densely populated Pearl River Delta.

Hong Kong’s airlines have moved most of their fleets out of the city to avoid damage from Super Typhoon Ragasa, Reuters reported.

About 80 per cent of aircraft belonging to the territory’s four main carriers have been relocated to airports in Japan, China, Cambodia, Europe and Australia, according to Flightradar24 tracking data. The Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre said the majority of private jets had also left ahead of the storm.

Earlier, passengers were stuck at the airport as hundreds of flights were cancelled. Cathay Pacific cancelled more than 500 flights and said it was “positioning some of our aircraft away from Hong Kong” with a gradual resumption expected from Thursday into Friday. Greater Bay Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines confirmed they had also sent planes to other airports as a precaution.

Taiwan’s authorities say 15 people have been confirmed dead after a lake burst and sent a wall of water through the town of Guangfu during Super Typhoon Ragasa, revising the death toll up by one.

The fire department revised down the number of people missing after the typhoon in Guangfu, however, from more than 150 to just 17.

Sirens rang out in Guangfu on Wednesday as police warned of fresh flooding in the eastern Taiwan town devastated earlier when a barrier lake burst.

Authorities said much of the lake’s water had already been released and heavy rain was easing, but fears remained.

“We will not return until the overflow is finished or the risk of it bursting is reduced. It’s too dangerous,” said a woman surnamed Tsai from an elementary school shelter told Reuters news agency.

The deluge has already swept away a major bridge and left cars and scooters strewn across muddy streets. About 5,200 people, 60 per cent of the town’s population, sheltered on upper floors of their homes, while others left to stay with relatives.

The government said the lake released about 60 million tonnes of water, the equivalent of 36,000 Olympic-sized pools. Soldiers have been distributing supplies door-to-door in armoured vehicles as rescuers continue to search.

The Hong Kong Observatory increased its storm warning this morning from No 8 to No 10, its highest, as hurricane force winds and tall waves lashed the city.

The warning meant people were supposed to stay inside away from windows and doors and remain in place “until the danger is over”.

Maximum gusts of 206kmph were reported at Ngong Ping plateau, a top tourist destination, while the observatory expected winds of up to 189kmph elsewhere.

The eye of the storm has now passed to the west beyond Hong Kong’s coast and the impacts of the storm are dying down there, though flight disruptions are expected to continue until at least Thursday morning.