Five dead, 153 injured as Typhoon Hato hits Macau

At least five people were killed after Typhoon Hato struck Macau on Wednesday, a spokesperson of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government said.

While speaking at a press conference, spokesperson Chan Chi Ping confirmed that 153 other persons were injured so far.

The Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (MGB) hoisted highest signal No. 10 at 11:30 a.m. local time (0330 GMT), Xinhua reported.

Under the ferocious typhoon, Macao Marine and Water Bureau have said that all marine transport has been cancelled and all ships inside Macao's ports were kept on alert.

Typhoon Hato with breeze of up to 207 kph (129 mph) has caused devastating destruction in heavily populated cities like Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen and Zhuhai on the Chinese coast.

The Macao International Airport also announced that among the airlines taking off from Macao, 26 have been cancelled and three were delayed. For those heading for Macao, 25 flights have been cancelled and nine delayed.

Meanwhile, the MGB has also issued a Black Storm Surge Warning, the highest one in three levels, to suggest the water level is expected to be above one meter from the road level, Xinhua reported.

Few low-land areas in Macao's northern downtown were flooded by both the rain and sea water.

Macao's Civil Emergency Response Center has said that some 266 cases of accidents have been reported until now, including destruction in the city.