Typhoon Ragasa barrels through Philippines as rescuers rush to evacuate residents

Super typhoon Ragasa, the most powerful storm recorded this year, has hit the Philippines, causing widespread evacuations and airport shutdowns across East Asia. The superstorm with recorded winds of 270km/h made landfall over sparsely populated northern islands on Monday (22 September), bringing with it landslides and flooding. At least three people were killed and five are reported missing. Footage shows rescue teams working through the night to save stranded residents. The Category 5 super typhoon – which has been labelled as “potentially catastrophic” – is currently travelling west towards Hong Kong, Macau and southern China. Hong Kong's authorities have issued their third-highest typhoon warning and cancelled at least 700 flights, whilst nearby Shenzhen has ordered the evacuation of 400,000 people.