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Bloomberg
Typhoon Mangkhut is losing power after making landfall in China and leaving Hong Kong with roads blocked, buildings damaged and low-lying areas flooded. The death toll in the Philippines rose to more than 50. More than 2.45 million people have been relocated and over 48,000 fishing boats returned to ports in China’s Guangdong province as of 5 pm on Sunday, when Mangkhut made landfall, according to Xinhua News Agency. A 40,000-ton-category vessel with 73 people on board was blown off its anchoring at Huizhou port this morning, China’s Central Television reported.
Mangkhut is set to weaken as it passes over inland areas of South China. The Hong Kong Observatory said it will consider whether to lower its warning status by one notch to Strong Wind Signal No. 3 before 6 am, which would allow stock trading to continue on Monday as normal. All schools in the city, including six universities, will be shut.
Macau suspended all casino operations for the first time as Mangkhut approached, saying it would review the move once the typhoon passed. The gaming hub has lowered its typhoon signal to No. 8 from the highest No. 10 on Sunday evening.
While the casinos may be able to reopen by early Monday, it will take “a day or so†for traffic to return to normal given how many flights and ferries were canceled, said Grant Govertsen, analyst at Union Gaming Securities Asia Ltd., in a note.
Earlier, Mangkhut brought heavy winds and rains to Hong Kong, blowing out apartment building windows and toppling scores of trees. About 213 people had sought medical treatment in the city’s hospitals. Macau reported seven injuries. In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte appeared on television to pledge aid to storm-hit regions.