Powerful Typhoon Mangkhut barrels into coast of Guangdong province

Beijing, September 17: Tropical storm Mangkhut continued on its destructive path on Sunday as it hit the southern coast of China, killing two, after leaving at least 64 dead in the Philippines amid landslides and flooding.

 

The storm, which has been downgraded from typhoon status, battered the heavily populated Guangdong region on Sunday afternoon with 100mph (160km/h) winds, after skirting 62 miles from Hong Kong.

The storm, which made landfall on the coast of Jiangmen City last evening, also forced the evacuation of over 3 million people in the southern region.

Work has been suspended at more than 29,000 construction sites and 640 tourist spots were closed. Before reaching China, the storm had left a trail of death and destruction from the Philippines to Hong Kong.

In Guangdong, more than 2.4 million people have been evacuated. The storm made landfall in the city of Haiyan around 5pm local time, according to China’s central meteorological observatory.

China Central Television said Mangkhut, which the China Meteorological Administration called the “King of Storms”, triggered storm surges as high as 3 meters. By Monday morning, the Chinese state broadcaster said four lives had already been lost.