HONG Kong issued its highest storm warning on Sunday as typhoon “Wipha,” packing winds of more than 167 kilometers (103 miles) per hour, brought heavy rain and wind across the territory, forcing the cancellation of more than 200 flights.
In South Korea, two people have died and a further two were missing in the resort town of Gapyeong on Sunday, after a landslide engulfed houses and flooding swept away vehicles during a period of heavy rainfall.
This brings the nationwide death toll to 14 with 12 people missing since the rain began
Wipha pounded Hong Kong as it skirted southwards, packing winds exceeding 167 kph (103 mph), disrupting 400 flights and public transport, felling hundreds of trees, and damaging a construction site.
Just after 4 p.m. on Sunday, weather authorities lowered the typhoon signal in the Asian financial hub to 8 from the maximum of 10, which had been hoisted for nearly seven hours, while more than 110 mm (4 inches) of rain fell within three hours.
Much of the rain concentrated on the northern region neighboring the mainland, the city’s observatory said, warning of more to come.
Wipha made landfall on the coast of Taishan city in China’s southern Guangdong province at around 5:50 p.m. on Sunday, state-run CCTV reported.
After landfall, Wipha weakened to the level of a severe tropical storm, CCTV said.
