Babs' 140kph winds weakened at around 0500 GMT as she approached southeast Hong Kong and was downgraded to a severe tropical storm by the Hong Kong Observatory.

Trees and earth are cleared after a landslide caused by the typhoon

Strong winds and rain hit Hong Kong on Sunday evening and early on Monday, but no serious storm-related injuries were reported.

A typhoon warning was still in effect in Hong Kong on Monday, and several beaches were closed due to rough seas.

But surfers off Hong Kong were ignoring red flags and have been riding four-metre waves, according to local radio reports. One man had to be rescued after being washed up on rocks.

The marine department has said one of Hong Kong's typhoon shelters was full as boats raced to harbour ahead of the storm, while contractors have been urged to secure all scaffolding and building materials on construction sites.

Massive damage in Philippines

Earlier, Typhoon Babs brought heavy rain to Taiwan, triggering landslides and swamping some northern areas. Air, sea and land traffic was disrupted.

What Babs did to the Philipinnes

But it was the Philippines where the typhoon caused the most devastation. Some 160 people are now reported to have died in the storm, most of them in the eastern areas.

Officials assessing the damage there say more than 160 people have been killed by the storm, which caused massive flooding and landslides.

Nearly 70 people died on the island of Catanduanes alone, where a landslide buried the village of Kilikilihan on Thursday.

Philippines President Joseph Estrada declared that Catanduanes - together with three other other provinces and a city - was under a state of calamity.

At least 11 people are still missing, including two Taiwanese fishermen who fell from their boat in the Bicol region of the Philippines.

Damage to crops and property has been estimated at $75m.

Zeb claimed around 100 lives

The storm - the second in a week - has caused widespread devastation triggering floods and landslides and forcing more than 300,000 people to flee their homes.

Winds of up to 260kmh (160mph) were recorded, and at sea, the storm generated waves up to 8-metres high. The giant swirl of cloud around the storm brought torrential rainfall.

The authorities have advised vessels to avoid venturing out onto the high seas. People living in low-lying areas have been told to move to higher ground.

Last week Typhoon Zeb hit the northern Philippines, killing around 100 people before moving on to Taiwan and Japan. The country is struck by about 24 tropical cyclones every year, but this year is expected to be even stormier than usual because of the weather phenomenon known as La Nina.