Guangdong evacuates thousands as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches

Hundreds of thousands of people had been evacuated across Guangdong province in preparation for the Super Typhoon Ragasa, as it is forecast to make landfall in the province's coastal area on Wednesday, according to local emergency management authorities.

As of noon on Tuesday, 371,644 people in Guangdong had been evacuated after the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters raised the typhoon emergency response from Level II to Level I, the highest in China's four-tier warning system.

Local flood control headquarters, in collaboration with the marine law enforcement corps, have organized the relocation of fishing boats to safer ports.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 80,231 fishing boats in the province have been secured in ports, and 12,246 offshore workers have returned to land.

Additionally, all port operations in the province had been halted, the flood control headquarters said.

Ragasa, the 18th typhoon of this year, is forecast to make landfall on Wednesday in the coastal area between Zhuhai and Xuwen county in Guangdong as a strong typhoon or super typhoon, with its wind force reaching from level 14 to level 16, according to local meteorological authorities.