Typhoon Wipha makes landfall in southern China after battering Hong Kong

Typhoon Wipha has made landfall on the coast of Taishan city in China’s southern Guangdong province, state-run CCTV reported, after it pounded Hong Kong, disrupting hundreds of flights in the region.

After landfall at around 5:55pm (0955 GMT) on Sunday, Wipha weakened to the level of a severe tropical storm, with a maximum wind force of 30 metres per second, according to the CCTV report.
Much of the rain concentrated on the northern region neighbouring the mainland, the city’s observatory said, warning of more to come.

In a statement, the government said 26 people sought treatment in public hospitals, while 253 flocked to its shelters, and 471 fallen trees were reported.In North Point near the Asian financial hub’s harbour, large swathes of scaffolding were swept off a residential building and onto the road.

A representative from Hong Kong’s Airport Authority on Sunday said about 500 flights have been cancelled, while 400 others are scheduled to take off or land later in the day, affecting nearly 80,000 travellers.

Cathay Pacific Airways cancelled all flights with Hong Kong airport between 5am and 6pm on Sunday. It waived ticket change fees and arranged for rebooking. Most public transport in Hong Kong was suspended, including ferries amid high sea swells.

China’s Hainan and Guangdong provinces were also put on high alert, according to the state news agency Xinhua. The cities of Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Macao cancelled or delayed all daytime flights on Sunday.

Authorities in neighbouring Macau, the world’s biggest gambling hub, also downgraded the typhoon signal to 8 from 10, warning of flooding in its inner harbour area and urging residents to stay safe, public broadcaster TDM said.