Nearly 2 million people in southern China were evacuated as a powerful typhoon hurtled into one of the world’s most densely populated coasts, having already unleashed deadly flooding in Taiwan.

Typhoon Ragasa, which a few days ago was the strongest storm on earth so far this year, brought finance hub Hong Kong and swathes of southern China to a standstill on Wednesday, after barreling through remote islands in the Philippines and mountainous regions of Taiwan.