Fierce winds, pounding rain and high seas battered Hong Kong on Wednesday as Super Typhoon Ragasa headed into southern China after causing a lake burst that killed at least 14 people in Taiwan.

The Chinese finance hub saw scores of fallen trees with flooding in at least two seaside neighbourhoods, while buildings across the city rattled and swayed in the strong winds.

Ragasa is expected to be closest to Hong Kong on Wednesday morning, skirting just 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of the city, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, which issued the highest level of typhoon warning overnight.

"There will be overtopping waves over the shoreline, which will be particularly significant along the eastern and southern coasts," the observatory said.

"Under the influence of significant storm s

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