Typhoon shuts down Hong Kong with strong winds, rain
HONG KONG - Hong Kong was shuttered Tuesday as a powerful typhoon swept past the city, bringing strong winds and rain that caused flight disruptions and forced the closure of the stock market and container ports.
Typhoon Kalmaegi, packing gusts of 125 kilometres (77 miles) per hour, was centred 400 kilometres southwest of Hong Kong as it barrelled towards the northern tip of China's Hainan island.
"Although the tropical cyclone is moving away from Hong Kong, gales are expected to persist for some time," the Hong Kong Observatory said on its website.
The Observatory hoisted the number-eight tropical cyclone warning on Monday evening and said it would remain in place until late morning Tuesday, triggering the closure of schools and businesses in the city.
At Hong Kong's airport, over 500 flights were delayed while nearly 40 were cancelled, a government statement said.
It said that there were 44 reports of fallen trees and that some parts of the city were flooded, but there were no reports of landslides.
The Hong Kong stock exchange cancelled its morning trading session and said it would remain closed for the day if the number-eight warning -- the third in a five-tier warning system -- was still in force by noon.
AFP
