This is the terrifying moment a huge wall of water smashed through a hotel reception as Super Typhoon Ragasa continues to lash Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan.

In footage shared on Facebook, an enormous surge of water dramatically demolished the glass doors of the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen, Hong Kong, immediately flooding the lobby.

People can be heard screaming, swearing, and clinging onto furniture in a desperate attempt to not be swept away by the water, which completely destroyed the hotel’s interior.

Others can be seen falling over and being dragged away by the water’s strong current.

The super typhoon, dubbed the ‘King of Storms’, is the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year and is on course to make landfall in China today.

The death toll in Taiwan has risen to 15, and 124 are still missing, after Typhoon Ragasa caused a barrier lake to burst its banks, unleashing ferocious floodwaters in the eastern Hualien county.

Nearly two million people were last night evacuated from their homes in Guangdong province as the storm barrels closer towards China’s most populous province where around 127 million people live. 

Authorities in about a dozen Chinese cities have closed schools, businesses and transportation services today with the storm scheduled to hit between the cities Yangjiang and Zhanjiang tonight. 

In footage shared on Facebook , an enormous surge of water dramatically demolished the glass doors of the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen, Hong Kong, immediately flooding the lobby

People can be heard screaming, swearing, and clinging on to furniture in a desperate attempt to not be swept away by the water, which completely destroyed the hotel’s interior

Others can be seen falling over and being dragged away by the water’s strong current

It lifted waves taller than lampposts onto Hong Kong promenades and created rough seas on the southern Chinese coast after causing deadly destruction in Taiwan and the Philippines, where 10 deaths were reported.

A weather station in the town of Chuandao in China’s Guangdong province recorded maximum gusts of about 150mph at noon. Huge waves battered the city of Zhuhai’s coastline and strong winds buffeted trees under intense rain. Fallen branches were scattered on the streets.

The fierce winds brought by Ragasa, once a super typhoon, woke Hong Kong residents in the early hours, and many went online to describe scenes such as a kitchen ventilation fan being blown down and a crane swaying.

Strong winds blew away parts of a pedestrian bridge’s roof and knocked down hundreds of trees across the city. A vessel crashed into the shore, shattering a row of glass railings along the waterfront.

Areas around some rivers and promenades were flooded, including cycling lanes and playgrounds. At several promenade restaurants, furniture was scattered chaotically by the winds.

More than 60 injured people were treated at hospitals.

The super typhoon, dubbed the ‘King of Storms’, is the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year and is on course to make landfall in China today

Waves crash ashore during Typhoon Ragasa, signal 10, in Hong Kong, China, September 24 2025

A woman wades through a flooded street during the passage of Super Typhoon Ragasa in Macau on September 24, 2025

A man holds his dog while walking through a flooded street during the passage of Super Typhoon Ragasa in Macau on September 24, 2025

A video that showed waves of water crashing through the doors of a hotel and flooding its interiors went viral in the financial hub. Staff were seen cleaning up the lobby, with parts of its exterior damaged.

Hong Kong and Macao, a nearby casino hub, cancelled schools and flights, with many shops closed, while hundreds of people sought refuge in temporary centres.

Streets in Macao turned into streams with various debris floating on the water. Rescue crews deployed inflatable boats to save those who were trapped. The gambling city’s local electricity supplier suspended its power supply in some flooded, low-lying areas for safety.

As winds gradually weakened in the afternoon, a few cities distant from the expected landfall location were preparing to resume normal operations.

Hong Kong’s observatory said Ragasa had maximum sustained winds near the centre of about 120mph and skirted around 62 miles to the south of the financial hub.

Ragasa earlier caused deaths and damage in Taiwan and the Philippines after the typhoon took a path between them.

In Taiwan, heavy rain caused a barrier lake in Hualien County to overflow on Tuesday and torrents of muddy water destroyed a bridge, turning roads in Guangfu into churning rivers that carried vehicles and furniture away.

Guangfu has about 8,450 people, more than half of whom sought safety on higher floors of their homes or on higher ground.

Residents clear mud from their property, while damaged cars are seen in the background, in Hualien on September 24, 2025, following the bursting of a barrier lake

Part of the bridge over Mataian Creek is seen destroyed after a barrier lake burst in Hualien on September 24, 2025

An overview shows mud and receding floodwaters after a barrier lake burst and caused parts of the bridge over Mataian Creek be destroyed in Hualien on September 24, 2025

Damaged cars lie piled up in mud, following flooding brought by Super Typhoon Ragasa in Hualien, Taiwan, September 24, 2025

A pedestrian crosses the flooded San Ma Lo commercial area during the passage of Super Typhoon Ragasa in Macau on September 24, 2025

Volunteers hand out food to residents along a flooded street in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Ragasa in Guangfu Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, September 24, 2025

At least 15 people have died and contact was lost with 124 others in the township. Taiwan’s Central News Agency said rescuers were going door-to-door to check on these residents.

‘It was like a volcano erupting…. the muddy floodwaters came roaring straight into the first floor of my house,’ Hsu Cheng-hsiung, 55, a neighbourhood leader of Kuang Fu township, told AFP.

Premier Cho Jung-tai visited the area Wednesday, pledging to provide assistance to those affected.

‘As for the people who lost their lives, we must find out why evacuation orders were not carried out in the affected area, leading to such a tragedy,’ he said.

“We still have more than a hundred people missing and this is our greatest concern right now.”

‘It was a disaster movie,’ a local resident Yen Shau, 31, told AFP.

He said an hour before the lake burst, many people were still at the local supermarket and grocery store.

‘Within minutes, the water had risen to halfway up the first floor,’ he said.

Part of the bridge over Mataian Creek is seen damaged after a barrier lake burst in Hualien on September 24, 2025

Residents clear mud from their property, while damaged cars are seen in the background, in Hualien on September 24, 2025

Residents ride a motorcycle past damaged cars, swept away by floodwaters, in Hualien on September 24, 2025, following the bursting of a barrier lake during the passing of Super Typhoon Ragasa

He said he couldn’t sleep Tuesday night for fear of another deluge from the lake, and on Wednesday was shovelling mud from his home.

‘The mud was just too deep, too deep to dig out,’ he added.

Footage released by the fire agency showed flooded streets, half-submerged cars and uprooted trees.

Across Taiwan, more than 7,600 people were evacuated due to Typhoon Ragasa.

According to the National Fire Agency, at least 152 people are missing in Hualien and elsewhere in Taiwan. 

Separately, 34 people were injured across the self-ruled island.

At least 10 deaths were reported in the Philippines, including seven fishermen who drowned after their boat was battered by huge waves and fierce winds and flipped over on Monday off Santa Ana in the province of Cagayan. 

Five other fishermen remained missing, officials said.

Nearly 700,000 people were affected by the onslaught in the main northern Philippine region of Luzon, including 25,000 people who who fled to government emergency shelters.