China and Hong Kong brace for super typhoon after 14 killed in Taiwan - with 152 missing

At least 14 people have been killed in an area of Taiwan popular with tourists after Super Typhoon Ragasa lashed the island nation, with Hong Kong and mainland China braced for impact.

The powerful storm - the strongest in years - has forced thousands to flee their homes, with flights cancelled and schools and businesses shuttered as about 70cm (28 inches) of rain has fallen on eastern areas.

At least four more people were reported to have been killed in the Philippines, where nearly 700,000 people were affected by the super typhoon in the main northern region of Luzon.

The deaths in Taiwan were reported in the eastern Taiwanese county of Hualien, which is popular with tourists.

At least 152 people are missing after a town, Guangfu, was flooded by a deluge from a barrier lake which burst its banks on Tuesday afternoon.

Around 60 million tonnes of water was released, the Taiwanese government said, the equivalent of a major reservoir in southern Taiwan.

Taiwan's fire department said all the fatalities and missing people are from Guangfu.

One resident, a postman who gave his family name as Hsieh, told Reuters news agency the water hit like a "tsunami" which swept his car into his living room.

Late on Wednesday morning, a new flood warning sounded in Guangfu, where shouts were heard from residents and rescuers of "the flood waters are coming, run fast".

Elsewhere, Dama, a village of around 1,000 people, has been completely flooded.

Its chieftain, Wang Tse-an, told Reuters many locals are still stranded there, adding: "It's chaotic now. There are mud and rocks everywhere."

Regions across Taiwan have sent at least 340 soldiers to Hualien to boost rescue efforts.

In Guangfu, troops operating from an armoured personnel carrier to avoid the thick mud on the streets went door-to-door handing out water and instant noodles.

Ragasa is set to hit China's Guangdong province, where nearly 1.9 million people were relocated.

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Hong Kong's storm level is at its highest level of 10 as people reported being woken by fierce winds in the early hours.

Parts of a pedestrian bridge's roof were blown away, hundreds of trees were knocked down across the city and more than 60 injured people were treated at hospitals.

A video that showed waves of water crashing through the doors of a hotel and flooding its interiors went viral in the financial hub, where warnings of hurricane-force winds of well over 120mph have been issued.

(c) Sky News 2025: China and Hong Kong brace for super typhoon after 14 killed in Taiwan - with 152 missing