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.