Sailor missing in typhoon fury
Hong Kong felt the power of Typhoon Nesat yesterday as a yachtsman went missing in a storm that pushed two crane barges aground, tore down scaffolding and uprooted more than 400 trees.
An air and sea search was launched as the yachtsman's boat washed ashore at Wong Chuk Kok, on Lamma Island, at daybreak, two hours after the No 8 typhoon signal was hoisted for the first time in two years. The Observatory last hoisted the No 8 signal in September 2009, when Typhoon Koppu struck.
The No 8 signal yesterday remained in force for about 12 hours.
Police said a cargo vessel alerted the Marine Department after a person wearing dark blue clothing was seen waving for help from the yacht in the East Lamma Channel at 6.45am. The sailboat washed ashore at Wong Chuk Kok as a police launch arrived, but officers found no sign of the yachtsman. The search was suspended last night.
Twenty-five people between the ages of one and 87 sought medical treatment in public hospitals for injuries suffered in the storm. The injuries were mostly minor but 12 people remained in hospital last night, their condition ranging from stable to serious.
Shortly before 3am yesterday, a 39-metre crane barge with nobody on board drifted across the harbour between Tseung Kwan O and Chai Wan after its anchor cable snapped. It drifted about 2.5 kilometres in the rough seas.
The barge hit a pier at an oil storage depot in Chai Wan then drifted a further 500 metres before slamming into a sea wall at the Heng Fa Chuen promenade, where it ran aground, a Fire Services Department spokesman said. A section of the seawall and railings was damaged but no one was injured.
At one point, the barge's extended crane arm came within six to seven metres of an apartment block, prompting the evacuation of more than 50 residents.
One second-floor resident, surnamed Chan, said he was awakened by a loud bang of some sort caused by the storm. 'The crane was just outside my home and right in front of me,' he said. He was shocked by what he saw and 'remained motionless for seconds', he said.
The owner of the barge was arranging its salvage at the scene last night.
In a separate case, a 65-metre barge with nobody on board broke free from its moorings in the same area as the first barge, and ran aground near the Tseung Kwan O Chinese Permanent Cemetery at about 3.45am.
The Marine Department said it was investigating both incidents.
During the day, authorities received 418 reports of toppled trees and 15 of collapsed scaffolding and debris falling from external walls. A 500-square-metre scaffolding was blown down in Prince Edward Road East in San Po Kong, hitting a taxi and injuring its passenger at about 12.45am.
One toppled tree hit a moving train between Fanling and Tai Wo MTR stations at about 10.10am. The train pulled over for an inspection before continuing its journey 20 minutes later, an MTR spokesman said. Nobody was injured.
In Central, police sealed off a section of Connaught Road after seven window panels from the Hang Seng Bank headquarters blew down at about 7.30am. Nobody was injured.
The storm disrupted air, land and sea traffic. Schools were closed along with most offices, businesses and the stock exchange.
The No 8 signal was hoisted at 4.40am, acting senior scientific officer Leung Yin-kong said. It was downgraded to No 3 at 4.10pm, as the typhoon moved away from the city. At 7pm, Nesat was centred about 480 kilometres west-southwest of Hong Kong, the Observatory said.
