Strongest storm of the year kills 14 in Taiwan and brings Hong Kong to standstill

BBC News, Sept.24: At least 14 people have been killed in Taiwan in the wake of Super Typhoon Ragasa, which is now headed for China's southern coast.

A month's worth of rain is expected today in China's Zhuhai city, which is braced for the "King of Storms", our correspondent Laura Bicker reports.

The equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, this year's strongest storm has been roaring over the South China Sea for days, bringing heavy rains and winds.

Hong Kong is braced for it after issuing its highest alert - Ragasa is expected to brush past its coast.

En route it ravaged eastern Taiwan, washing away bridges and flooding villages - geologists have described it as a "tsunami from the mountains".

More than a million people in its path have been evacuated - in the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong and  southern China.