A man wades through a water-logged road in Macao, south China, Aug. 23, 2017. Hato, the 13th typhoon to hit China this year, made landfall in the city of Zhuhai in southern China's Guangdong Province at noon Wednesday. Affected by Hato, Macao has canceled all marine transport and most of airlines. (Xinhua)
MACAO/GUANGZHOU, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed in Macao as the strongest typhoon of the year hit China Wednesday.
Typhoon Hato swept past Macao and made landfall in the city of Zhuhai in Guangdong Province at noon Wednesday, bringing winds of up to 160 km per hour to the mouth of the Pearl River and heavy rain to nearby regions, the local meteorological bureau said.
In Macao, a wall brought down by strong winds killed a man. Another died after falling from the 11th floor of a building, and another after being hit by a truck, according to Macao health authorities.
There was a brief city-wide blackout but power resumed at 2 p.m.
In Guangdong, there has been no casualties reported so far. At least 2,000 trees were blown down and damage was spotted on transport infrastructure.
Alerts for landslides, flooding, and other geological disasters have been issued.
"Compared to other typhoons, Hato moved fast, grew powerful fast, and caused massive rainfall," said Wu Zhifang, chief weather forecaster at Guangdong meteorological bureau.
Meteorologists had earlier warned of unusual flooding as the typhoon came during high tides.
By Tuesday, thousands of people -- mostly workers on coastal fish farms -- had been evacuated in Guangdong and neighboring Fujian Province.
Classes and work were suspended in the cities of Zhuhai, Jiangmen and Zhongshan on Wednesday. Several expressways were closed and train services halted.
Hato is forecast to move northwest and enter Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region by dawn Thursday. As the typhoon moves further inland its strength is expected to drop.
In Guangxi, more than 15,000 workers at the local power grid were put on standby while precautions were being taken to minimize damage caused by potential flooding and landslides.
