Scaffolding Wall in Hong Kong Collapses in Storm

A hurricane hit Hong Kong hard on Friday (10/8), causing damage and flooding across the area.

A giant wall of traditional bamboo scaffolding and loose netting was swept away by the wind from one side of an apartment during a storm.

According to local media, a trapped worker died, while a number of other workers and two drivers in the cars trapped under the collapsed scaffolding were rescued by firefighters.

The Hong Kong Observatory issued the Black Storm Signal, indicating more than 70 millimeters of rain per hour across the region and instructing residents to “stay indoors or take shelter in a safe place.”

The warning was later downgraded to the Red Hurricane Signal, which indicates more than 50 millimeters of rain per hour.

The rain and wind that hit Hong Kong were caused by Tropical Cyclone Lionrock and the northeast monsoon, the Observatory said. [uh/ab]