On Friday, severe rain paralysed the heavily crowded city of Hong Kong, according to Reuters. Authorities closed schools and advised employees to stay at home after seeing the situation of waterlogged streets, shopping malls, and metro stations.
The highest hourly rainfall total ever recorded in the last 140 years occurred in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Observatory reported that rain totalled 158.1 millimetres (6.2 inches) between Thursday night at 11:00 HKT and Friday morning at 10:00 GMT.
Since Thursday night, more than 200 mm of rain has fallen on Kowloon, the main island of Hong Kong, and the northern half of the New Territories, according to the weather agency, which has issued the most severe "black" rainfall warning.
John Lee, the city's leader, expressed his serious concern for the widespread flooding that had affected the majority of the area and ordered all departments to make "all-out efforts" to address the situation.
Social media videos showed streets turned into rivers, while one film showed water pouring into a submerged metro station from an escalator.
The cross-harbour tunnel, a vital passageway connecting Hong Kong Island to Kowloon, was also underwater, and images showed a flooded shopping area in the Chai Wan district. One rail line has been closed, according to Hong Kong's MTR Corp, which manages the city's rail system. Other lines are operating with a delay.
(Photos: AFP/Bloomberg)
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