A destructive typhoon, which has already killed 35 people in the Philipines, has now hit China.
Typhoon Nesat hit the eastern tip of China’s Hainan island today, at 2.30pm local time, with its winds reaching up to 94 miles (150 kilometres) per hour.
Nearly 58,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas in eastern Wenchang city, according to flood control officials and flights were cancelled at the island’s two airports.
With streets flooded and trees blown down, authorities closed schools, suspended ferry services and forced fishing boats to return to land.
The storm swept across the South China Sea from the Philippines where crops were damaged, 35 people have died and 45 are now missing.
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Nesat has caused some of the worst flooding downtown Manila, the capital, has seen in years.
Mayor Santiago Austria of rice farming town Jaen in Nueva Ecija said: “Many people here are still on top of their houses. We don’t have enough boats to reach them and hand them food.”
Around 17,000 people were forced to flee their homes and were moved to evacuation centres.
Hong Kong was affected, with the shops businesses and the stock market closing, but no deaths have been reported on the island and damage was minimal.
Sharon Guan, a tourist who was waiting for her ferry at the China Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong said: “The streets are empty and all the shops are closed. It’s so unusual to see Hong Kong so deserted at this hour.”
