Typhoon Ragasa hits China after killing at least 20 in Taiwan and the Philippines

Streets in southern China were deserted on Wednesday as Typhoon Ragasa, one of the world’s strongest storms this year, slammed into the region after carving a deadly path between the Philippines and Taiwan.

HONG KONG — Streets in southern China were deserted Wednesday as Typhoon Ragasa, one of the world’s strongest storms this year, slammed into the region after having carved a deadly path between the Philippines and Taiwan.

At least 17 people were confirmed dead in Taiwan, the National Fire Agency said Wednesday — all in eastern Hualien County, where floodwaters from a barrier lake surged into Guangfu township.

Damaged cars, swept away by floodwaters, in Hualien County, Taiwan, on Wednesday.I-hwa Cheng / AFP via Getty ImagesAt least three deaths were reported a day earlier in the Philippines, where the storm also displaced thousands of people in the north of the country.

China’s National Meteorological Center said Wednesday afternoon that Ragasa had weakened from a super typhoon to a strong typhoon, but that it was still packing winds of up to 112 mph. The storm made landfall in China’s Guangdong province around 5 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET), after which it was expected to move into the Gulf of Tonkin between South China and Vietnam.

Authorities warned of heavy rain and strong winds across southern China.