Typhoon Ragasa churned up powerful waves that slammed into the Hong Kong coastline.

Footage shows raging waters crashing against the shore, with swells surging along Hung Hom Promenade on September 24.

Trees along the waterfront were seen swaying and bending under the force of violent winds.

The day before, on September 23, murky seawater violently surged into the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen district, breaking the glass walls and swing doors, sweeping guests and staff into the building.

Local media reported that massive waves breached the hotel's sandbags and protective barriers.

The Hong Kong Observatory warned of 'phenomenal' ocean swells as storm surges were predicted to reach up to four metres (13 feet) in some areas.

Super Typhoon Ragasa, described as the strongest storm of the year so far, has wreaked havoc across East Asia after tearing through the northern tip of the Philippines and Hong Kong, killing at least 10 people in the Philippines and displacing thousands. Taiwan has also reported 17 fatalities linked to the storm.

It made landfall in the country's remote and poverty-stricken Babuyan Islands at 3 pm local time on Monday. It arrived as the Philippines continues to grapple with weeks of severe flooding brought on by an unusually intense monsoon season.

Hong Kong authorities have grounded at least 700 flights from Tuesday evening as Ragasa barrels toward the Chinese coast. Panicked locals have also cleared grocery shelves as they prepared to hunker down in their homes.

China has ordered schools and businesses shut in at least 10 cities as citizens brace for Ragasa's landfall in the coastal province of Guangdong.