Images of flooded cities on the southern Chinese coast have flooded the internet, after a massive typhoon resulted in heavy damage across the region.

Cities like Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou, are coping with damages caused by one of the most powerful typhoons in half a century. 

The death toll has risen to 16 people so far, 8 of which were in the former Portuguese colony of Macau. According to authorities, two men were found overnight in a submerged parking garage.

Another 153 were injured as a result of extensive flooding, power outages, and the smashing of doors and windows by high winds and driving rain.

"It's a calamity, the losses are high and a lot of buildings need repair," said Macau lawmaker Jose Pereira Coutinho, expressing concern over power and water outages around the city. 

"People were just swimming, they cried for help. There were no boats. The water came so suddenly," said Coutinho, in anger over the city's slow crisis management. 

China's official News Agency, Xinhua, said eight more people were killed in Guangdong and one person remained missing.

Typhoon Hato roared into the area Wednesday with winds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour.

Xinhua reports that nearly 27,000 people were evacuated to emergency shelters, with extensive damage caused to farmland due to the heavy rain and high tides.

Furthemore, almost 2 million households lost power temporarily, while fishing boats were called back to port and train services and flights suspended. 

Flooding and injuries were also reported in Hong Kong, although there were no reports of any deaths. Hong Kong's weather authorities raised the hurricane signal to the highest level, for the first time in five years.