Typhoon Ragasa, the world's most powerful tropical cyclone this year, made landfall in southern China on Wednesday after killing 15 people in Taiwan and lashing Hong Kong with ferocious winds and heavy rains.

In Taiwan's eastern Hualien county, 17 people remained missing after a barrier lake overflowed and sent a wall of water into a town, the fire department said Wednesday.

Subtropical Taiwan, frequently hit by typhoons, normally has a well-oiled disaster mechanism that averts mass casualties by moving people out of potential danger zones quickly.

In this photo taken from video and released by Dong Wen Transports, a drone shot shows the remaining piers of the Mataian Bridge after it collapsed during Ragasa's path through Hualien. (Dong Wen Transports/The Associated Press)

But many r

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