Hong Kong shut schools and cancelled flights on Tuesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa was set to slam into the financial centre with a force that officials warned would be among the most destructive in the city's recent history.

The powerful storm posed a wide threat to lives and homes, prompting authorities in mainland China to order businesses and schools to shutdown in at least 10 cities across the nation's south.

Ragasa had already toppled trees, tore the roofs off buildings and killed at least one person in a landslide while lashing the northern Philippines, where thousands sought shelter in schools and evacuation centres.

The super typhoon was a very dangerous storm as it moved west, packing maximum sustained winds of 230 kilometres (140 miles) per hour at its centre while churning acro

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