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A massive cleanup operation is underway tonight (Thursday) after Typhoon York left a trail of destruction across Hong Kong.

At 11pm, Severe Tropical Storm York was about 110km west northwest of Hong Kong, and moving slowly further inland into western Guangdong near Zhuhai and Zhongshan.

Signal No 8 was lowered at 10.10pm and Signal No 3 hoisted.

The Hurricane Signal No 10 was hoisted for 11 hours today until downgraded to Signal No 8 at 5.45pm. The last time the No 10 signal was hoisted was on September 9, 1983, during the passage of Typhoon Ellen.

As at 9.15pm, one man had died, one man was confirmed missing and 493 people had been injured during the passage of Typhoon York.

A man was certified dead on arrival at United Christian Hospital after he was hit by flying debris at King Lam Estate, Tseung Kwan O, about 6.15am today.

One man is missing and four men were rescued at Cheung Chau after going windsurfing at Kwun Yum Wan about 2.20pm.

In addition, two people were reported missing in the Tai Mo Shan area. Police are investigating and no more details are available.

Of those injured, 279 were males and 214 females. Seven females and four males remain in hospital in a serious condition, while 151 have been discharged. The remainder are in a stable or satisfactory condition.

Meanwhile, more than 115 Urban Services Department and Regional Services Department staff are working overnight to clear away fallen trees, collapsed or broken scaffolding or sign boards and broken glass littering and blocking Hong Kong's streets.

Cleanup operations will get into full swing early tomorrow (Friday) as the weather improves and more staff come on duty. At the height of the storm 91 roads were closed or partly closed, mostly due to fallen trees.

Police evacuated about 300 people during the storm, including 91 from Sham Tseng San Tsuen where there was a danger of landslip and flooding.

By 10pm, Fire Services Department officers had responded to 458 calls for special services, mainly to rescue people trapped in lifts.

In Jaffe Road, Wan Chai, 25 people were evacuated from their homes after a crane collapsed at 2pm, resulting in a suspected gas leakage. Town Gas investigated and turned off gas supply to the affected building.

At 11.30am, the Government Flying Service rescued five people from a river trade cargo vessel that was sinking about seven nautical miles west of Lantau Island.

In Wan Chai, Architectural Services Department staff and contractors were working overnight in Immigration Tower and Inland Revenue Tower to repair several dozen windows smashed by high winds.

By 10.41pm, more than 465 flights were affected by the bad weather - 97 incoming and 80 outgoing flights were cancelled, 134 incoming and 151 outgoing flights delayed and six incoming flights diverted.

The first plane to land at Hong Kong International Airport in almost 24 hours was Korean Air flight KE605 from Seoul, which landed at 9.17pm. The last plane to land before that was Dragonair flight KA701 from Guilin, which touched down at 11.13pm yesterday (Wednesday).

The last departure was Cathay CX289 to Frankfurt, which left at 1.36am.

The Airport Express railway service is running at 15-minute intervals and will run all night to help those passengers on delayed flights.

The MTRC's Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan and Island lines are running at 10-minute intervals. The Tung Chung Line is running at 15-minute intervals.

KCR services resumed services at 10-minute intervals at 10.10pm. Light Rail Transit services are gradually resuming services.

New World First Bus, Citybus and Kowloon Motor Bus are providing limited services. On Lantau Island, only the Mui Wo to Tai O route is running.

Discovery Bay ferry services to Central resumed at 11.20pm, while the service from Central to Discovery Bay will resume at midnight.

Star Ferry and Hongkong and Yaumatei Ferry services will resume tomorrow morning. Other ferry services, including those to Macau and the Mainland, have yet to decide when to resume operations.

By 10.30pm, sections of 90 roads had been closed because of fallen tress, collapsed or dangerous scaffoldings or sign boards, and broken windows.

A total of 64 cases of flooding have been recorded - 43 in the New Territories, 18 in Kowloon and three on Hong Kong Island.

There have been 338 reports of uprooted trees, of which 314 are in the New Territories and 24 in the urban areas.

By 9.30pm, the Home Affairs Department had opened 30 temporary shelters and was providing shelter to 499 people.

Accident and Emergency Services at hospitals remain in operation.

Electricity supply was interrupted in some remote villages in Sai Kung, Yuen Long and Sheung Shui, while water supply was interrupted at Tseung Kwan O.

END/Thursday, September 16, 1999

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