Super Typhoon Mangkhut Weakens To Tropical Storm, Over 56 Dead

After leaving a path of destruction in the Philippines, Super Typhoon Mangkhut weakened to a tropical storm after it reached mainland China on Sunday afternoon.

The storm claimed at least 54 lives in the Philippines where it first made landfall. Two people were reported dead in the Chinese province of Guangdong.

Forecasts said Mangkhut will now move inland to western Guangdong. More than 2.5 million people were evacuated from Guangdong and Hainan Island. It is expected to hit Guizhou, Chongqing, and Yunnan on Monday, according to reports.

The typhoon was one of the most powerful storms the region has seen in decades, according to reports.

An update on the tropical storm at 12.00 p.m. HKT (12 a.m. EDT Monday) said that the storm was about 650 km west of Hong Kong with a maximum sustained wind speed of 46.6 miles per hour. It is expected to weaken further.

The storm wreaked havoc in Hong Kong as well. It hit the region on Sunday with a maximum sustained wind speed of 173 kilometers per hour (107 miles per hour) with gusts of up to 223 kmph (138 mph). Heavy rains and storm surges of over 11 feet high were reported in the area due to the typhoon. The Victoria Harbor was hit with a storm surge of over 12.8 feet Sunday, CNN reported.

A signal T10 warning, the highest storm alert, was issued by the Hong Kong weather observatory. It was the 15th time in 60 years that a T10 warning was issued in the city. The city was shut down completely. All transport services, including airports and high-speed railways, were shut due to the storm.

According to reports, 632 tourism and 29,611 construction sites were closed due to the typhoon, while 18,327 emergency shelters were activated.

Pictures of shattered windows in high rise buildings across the city were shared online. BBC reported that apartment buildings were swaying from the wind. Roofs were torn off, trees were downed and cranes atop half-built skyscrapers were swinging wildly, CNN reported.

Though there were no major causalities, the storm left a wave of destruction across Hong Kong. Many were injured, but an exact number was not available. A T8 warning was in place on Sunday evening, which means that heavy rain and winds are still expected.

The Philippines remains the worst affected. More than 250,000 people within the country were affected due to Mangkhut.

Mangkhut, which was at the time a super typhoon, made landfall in the Philippines on Saturday morning with wind speeds of 270 kmph (165 mph).

According to government officials, the most number of deaths in the Philippines happened due to landslides. Reports said the storm caused 51 landslides in the country. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations are still underway. At least 32 people were injured and 42 were reported missing.