Beijing (EFE).- Super-typhoon Ragasa weakened into a tropical storm Thursday after making landfall in southern China, Chinese authorities said, following its earlier battering of coastal areas.
According to meteorological reports reviewed by news agencies, the storm’s core reached the coast of Guangxi province near Beihai at about 6:30 a.m. local time (22:30 GMT Wednesday), with sustained winds of approximately 75 km/h, moving west-ward at 15-20 km/h and expected to continue losing strength as it moves inland.
Before weakening, Ragasa hit Guangdong province with much greater force. Xinhua reported gusts up to 150 km/h in cities such as Yangjiang, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, triggering mass evacuations, shutdowns in transport and closures of businesses. Over 2.1 million people were reportedly evacuated from the region as precautionary measures.
The southern Chinese government allocated roughly 350 million yuan (about US$49 million) for recovery and response—including the deployment of generators and flood control equipment to the hardest hit areas.
In Yangjiang, more than 1,000 temporary shelters were opened for displaced residents; in Shenzhen, the airport has been closed since Tuesday, and an estimated 400,000 people were evacuated Authorities in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan issued warnings for potential heavy rainfall exceeding 200 millimeters, risks of landslides, flooding, and storm surge along the coast.
Transport services were halted, ferries cancelled, and thousands of fishing vessels ordered back to port in affected areas.
Hong Kong, meanwhile, remained under its highest typhoon alert (Signal 10) as winds battered the city with gusts exceeding 200 km/h in some areas. At least 56 people had been reported injured, including a young child and a woman who were swept into the sea.
Nearly 800 people were being housed in government shelters. EFE
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