7/6/2008

Record rainfall swamps Hong Kong

Rainstorms which brought the heaviest downpour since records began have swamped Hong Kong, causing landslides which claimed two lives.

A man and a woman died when a landslide crashed into a hut in which they were sleeping and 16 people were injured in other storm-related incidents.

Hong Kong's observatory recorded 145.5mm (5.73 inches) of rain in one hour on Saturday morning.

Low pressure which caused the storms was forecast to weaken gradually.

A 20-tonne wall was brought down by a landslide on top of the hut where the man and woman were staying, local media said.

Emergency workers used cranes to lift the wall and dug a tunnel to reach the two but they were dead by the time rescuers got through.

Fire department district commander Tam Yiu-kei said there was a "chance of further landslides".

Streets across Hong Kong were severely flooded, some roads were closed and some flights were delayed at the international airport.

 

Link:    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7441945.stm

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