Flight chaos as typhoon lashes southern China, killing three

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Typhoon Usagi has killed at least three people as it smashed into southern China Sunday, shutting down one of the world's busiest sea ports in nearby Hong Kong and throwing flight schedules into disarray.

Usagi, described by meteorologists as the most powerful storm on Earth this year, packed winds of 165 kilometres (103 miles) per hour as it hit land in China's densely populated Pearl River Delta, according to Chinese officials.

Usagi had previously killed two people in the Philippines and unleashed landslides and power outages across southern Taiwan as it ploughed through the Luzon Strait with ferocious winds and torrential downpours.

The Hong Kong Observatory hoisted the No. 8 signal -- the third of a five-step tropical storm warning.

Authorities in the southern Chinese city said it was likely to bring "severe" disruption, with transport systems affected and expectations of high waves and flooding in low-lying areas.

At Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport, airline counters were besieged by anxious passengers hoping to rebook their flights after the Cathay Pacific group said it was cancelling all its flights from 6:00 pm Sunday.

With many other airlines following suit, only a handful of flights were still scheduled to land or take off after 6:00 pm. Incoming flights from London, Sydney and Chicago among other cities were cancelled, and thousands risked being stranded.

The financial hub is well versed in typhoon preparations and enforces strict building codes, so rarely suffers major loss of life as a result of tropical storms but the observatory warned against complacency.