2023-09-08 06:39:04
HONG KONG (AP) — Rains across Hong Kong and southern China overnight drenched streets and some subway stations, crippling transportation and forcing the closure of schools Friday.
Videos circulating on social media showed flooded streets in Hong Kong and nearby Guangdong province, with cars plowing through the water and rescue teams moving on rafts.
Water rushed downstairs at a flooded underground subway station in Hong Kong, and cars were trapped in muddy water on flooded streets, including the tunnel across the harbor that connects Hong Kong Island with Kowloon.
Heavy downpours caused both Hong Kong and the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen to close schools. In the semi-autonomous territory, non-essential workers were told not to go to work on Friday and most bus services were suspended.
The Hong Kong Observatory said 15.81 centimeters (6.2 inches) of rain fell between 11 p.m. Thursday and midnight, the worst since records began in 1884. In Kowloon and on the island More than 20 centimeters (7.8 in) were collected from Hong Kong.
On the mainland, more than 11,000 people were evacuated from flooded areas in Meizhou, a city in Guangdong province, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Trains and flights were suspended in Guangdong and several roads were blocked by landslides, the report added.
A total of 46.9 centimeters (18.4 inches) of rain fell in Shenzhen, the worst downpour since the city started its weather records in 1952, CCTV said.
Beijing issued a flood advisory for several districts of the Chinese capital, saying heavy rain would continue until Saturday night.
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange did not open on Friday and authorities warned that extreme weather would persist into the evening. According to the city’s meteorological agency, the rains were caused by a low pressure system associated with the remnants of a recent typhoon.
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