Three dead as Typhoon Hato hits Macau, Hong Kong

At least three people died after Typhoon Hato hit Macau, bringing chaos and destruction in the city on Wednesday.

A 30-year-old man died after he was hit by a falling wall amid strong winds and a 62-year-old man fell from his home on the 11th floor of an apartment building, the South China Morning Post reported.

A 45-year-old mainland Chinese tourist died in a hit-and-run incident due to the typhoon.

Typhoon Hato with gust of up to 207 kph (129 mph) has caused devastating destruction in populous cities like Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen and Zhuhai on the Chinese coast.

According to local media reports, the typhoon came within 60 kilometres of the nearby financial centre of Hong Kong before heading westward into mainland China, where it was gradually weakening.

 

Thousands of people have been evacuated ahead of Typhoon Hato, the 13th of this year, which is moving towards China's southeast coast, with damaging winds, flooding rains and huge storm on Wednesday.

Train services on the Guangzhou-Nanning line have been suspended from 5 a.m. on Wednesday, said railway authorities in the neighbouring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

It is expected to move north-west at speeds between 20 kmph and 25 kmph, according to the Guangdong provincial meteorological bureau, the Global Times reported.

All the necessary preparations have been completed as the typhoon is set to make landfall at the coast between Zhuhai and Yangjiang.

The typhoon is expected to bring rains and gales with a maximum speed of around 40 meters per second to seas off the coast of Fujian and to Guangdong.

More than 4,000 fish farmers and their families returned to shore and all fishing boats returned to the harbour on Tuesday.

Huge waves as high as ten meters are expected in the South China Sea as the typhoon moves past, according to the State Oceanic Administration.

Fishermen and fish farm workers have been evacuated from the coast.

High-speed trains linking Shenzhen with the eastern provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi have also been cancelled.

Guangdong's flood relief agency said Hato could cause severe damage because it is growing stronger as it nears the shore. The typhoon also comes at a time when the Guangdong coast was busy with tourists and fish farm workers.

The agency also warned of possible severe flooding in low-lying areas.