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Hong Kong is on the move again after a weakened Typhoon Maggie headed away from Hong Kong and towards Guangdong Province this (Monday) morning.

However, all schools will be closed today.

Typhoon Signal No 8 is expected to be lowered before noon. Signal No 8 was hoisted at 5.45 am before which Signal No 9 had been hoisted since 2.45 am.

Maggie made landfall around 4 am over Sai Kung Peninsula and weakened into a severe tropical storm.

Maggie continued across the southern New Territories, past the western tip of Hong Kong Island and skirted the southern shores of Lantau Island before heading west towards Macau and Guangdong Province.

During Maggie's passage through Hong Kong, wind gusts up to 112kmh were reported at Cheung Chau, while the mean wind speed at Tai Po was 94kmh.

By 9.30am only ferry services continued to be affected by the bad weather.

Tram services on Hong Kong Island resumed at 9.15am.

Kowloon Motor Bus, Long Win, New World First Bus, Citybus and the New Lantao Bus Company have resumed normal service.

The Mass Transit Railway's Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong and Island Line services are operating at five-minute intervals, while the Airport Express and Tung Chung Line are operating at 10-minute intervals.

The Kowloon-Canton Railway is operating at six-minute intervals, while the Light Rail Transit and its feeder buses are operating normally.

At 8am, the Ting Kau Bridge and the upper deck of the Tsing Ma Bridge reopened to traffic.

The airport is operating normally. Four incoming flights and one departure have been delayed since Typhoon Signal No 3 was hoisted yesterday (Sunday).

Few incidents had been reported by 9.30 am.

At Wing Shun Street, Tsuen Wan, 27 people were led to safety by Fire Services Officers after a 30m x 50m scaffolding collapsed and blocked the entrance to the Paul Y Industrial Building around 4 am.

Four people were treated and discharged from the Prince of Wales Hospital after a traffic accident involving a taxi at Sha Tin about 3am.

The Home Affairs Department has opened 30 temporary shelters in various districts, providing refuge for 58 people.

The Amber rainstorm warning signal is still in force after being issued at 3.20 am. No landslides have been reported.

End/Monday, June 7, 1999

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