An estimated two million people have been evacuated in southern China in anticipation of Typhoon Ragasa’s arrival.
It follows reports from officials that a lake in Taiwan exploded on Tuesday, triggering major flooding in the eastern part of the island, killing at least 17 people and leaving many missing.
Despite being downgraded from a super to a severe typhoon on Wednesday, Ragasa is still very damaging; in Taishan County, in the south-eastern Guangdong province of China, maximum winds of 241 km/h (150 mph) were reported.
Ragasa is the strongest storm of the year and has been raging over the South China Sea for days. It is the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane.
