Typhoon rips through Hainan province

Strongest tropical storm to hit China in 40 years causes at least one death

Officials in China's southernmost province evacuated more than 230,000 people from their homes and shuttered tourist resorts and schools on Friday as a strengthening Typhoon Rammasun made landfall in Wenchang, Hainan province, toppling trees, snarling traffic and causing a man's death.

The typhoon, the strongest to hit the country since 1973, hit the Philippines earlier in the week, where it claimed at least 38 lives.