Thousands evacuated as typhoon Hagupit hits China

Hong Kong: Nearly 100,000 people were evacuated from China on Wednesday as a powerful typhoon ploughed into the southern coast, avoiding Hong Kong, which was hit by torrential rains and floods in low lying areas.

China's Meteorological Administration issued an "urgent red alert," its highest-level warning, as typhoon Hagupit made landfall.

Tropical Storm Risk downgraded the storm from category 4 to 3 on a scale of 5 once it made landfall.

More than 50,000 ships have been called back to port and authorities in Guangdong evacuated tens of thousands of people, news agency Xinhua said

Torrential rains were forecast as well as flooding in certain areas. Hagupit will also affect Guangxi and Hainan provinces, authorities said, with all schools in Hainan's provincial capital of Haikou ordered to close for the day.

The typhoon lashed Hong Kong overnight, uprooting trees and causing floods in low-lying areas including a fishing village on Lantau island where the city's international airport is located, with dozens of people injured across the territory.