HONG KONG (AFP) — Typhoon Hagupit lashed Hong Kong with heavy rain and strong winds Tuesday evening, suspending flights and disrupting public transport as workers hurried home.
The Hong Kong Observatory issued a number eight tropical cyclone warning at 6:00pm (1000 GMT), as winds of 63 kilometres (40 miles) an hour hit the southern Chinese city.
The observatory said that the typhoon was centred about 210 kilometres south-southeast of the territory and was forecast to move west or northwest towards the South China Sea.
It also expected flooding to occur in low-lying areas overnight due to the combined effect of typhoon and high tide.
A total of 47 flights in and out of Hong Kong had been cancelled by 4:00 pm, a Hong Kong Airport Authority spokeswoman told AFP.
Of these, 22 were departures and 25 arrivals, including some flights to and from Taiwan and Singapore. Several ferry journeys between Hong Kong and Macau were also suspended.
Airline Cathay Pacific said in a statement that it will suspend flights from 9pm Tuesday to 8am Wednesday.
A number eight signal means that all domestic ferry and bus services are shut down, financial markets are closed and people are sent home from work.
Four people were killed and rescuers were searching for 13 miners trapped in a flooded shaft after Hagupit hit the northern Philippines on Monday, officials said.
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