Typhoon Rammasun is headed for a Chinese island after battering the Philippine capital, Manila, and surrounding area on Wednesday, and killing at least 10 people in the island nation.
Experts believe the storm will regain its category three strength as it moves over the warm waters of the South China Sea in the direction of Hainan. The island is home to nearly 9 million people.
Those killed in the Philippines during the storm were hit by falling trees or power poles. In the city of Lucena, at least three people died when a wall collapsed on them.
Even as the first typhoon of the season departs the Philippines, thousands are without electric power.
Rammasun's winds reached speeds of 250 kilometers per hour.
Ahead of the typhoon, Philippine authorities evacuated more than 400,000 people. This was in an effort to prevent a repeat of last November's typhoon Haiyan, which killed 6,300 people with its tsunami-like sea surges.
Ahead of the storm, dozens of domestic flights were canceled and schools closed. Shipping lanes also were shut down, stranding hundreds of ferry passengers in ports.
About 20 major storms hit the Philippines every year
Rammasun, which means "God of Thunder" in Thai, strengthened overnight Monday from a tropical storm to a typhoon.
