Southern China battered as Typhoon Hato wreaks havoc
At least one person killed, flights cancelled and roads flooded as storm lashes coast
Typhoon Hato – the worst to hit the region this year – slammed into southern China on Wednesday, killing at least one person and causing flooding, power blackouts and damage to homes.
The China Meteorological Administration issued its first and highest red alert this year, along with a second ranked orange alert to warn of heavy rainstorms.
Flights and train services were suspended or delayed, while some cities closed down schools, factories and businesses in anticipation of the 17th typhoon to hit the mainland this year.
Mainland authorities had yet to provide information on Wednesday evening on the number of people killed and injured in the typhoon, but at least one man was known to have died in Zhongshan.
A video circulating on social media shows the man struggling against gale-force winds to keep a truck upright before the vehicle falls on top of him. Local authorities said he died at the scene.