BEIJING: The strongest typhoon to hit southern China in four decades has killed 18 people, the government said Sunday, while in the Philippines the death toll from the storm’s earlier destruction rose to 94. Forecasters issued warnings of more extreme weather.

Typhoon Rammasun has left nine people dead and left five missing in the island province of Hainan and another nine in Guangxi, official news agency Xinhua reported. The typhoon is the strongest to hit southern China in 41 years, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Wind speeds reached 216km per hour, with the storm knocking down power lines and damaging buildings, Xinhua said.

Television pictures Sunday showed waterlogged roads and heavy rain in the southwestern province of Yunnan. Online pictures showed uprooted trees, destroyed crops and deserted, rain-soaked streets across much of southern China.