HONG KONG: Super Typhoon Yagi edged closer to Hong Kong and Southern China after killing at least 15 people in the Philippines and forcing thousands to flee to safer ground.
With maximum sustained winds of 205kmh near its centre, Yagi is moving towards China’s Hainan island and Vietnam, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.
The weather bureau issued storm warning signal 3 – the second-lowest on its scale of five – on Wednesday (Sept 4) evening and said the weather over the coast of Guangdong will deteriorate on Thursday (Sept 5) and Friday (Sept 6).
The observatory said it will assess the need to issue higher alert.
If the weather office issues a storm signal 8, the third-highest warning, the city’s US$5 trillion (S$6.5 trillion) stock market will be shut for at least a portion of the day.
However, it could be the last typhoon that will force a market closure: the financial hub will end its decades-long practice of shutting markets during typhoons and major storms starting Sept 23.
The city suspended kindergartens and schools for children with special needs on Sept 5, the Hong Kong government said in a statement.
Budget carrier Hong Kong Express Airways has cancelled six flights because of the typhoon, it said.
At 6am local time, Yagi was estimated to be about 400km south-southeast of Hong Kong and is forecast to move west at about 12kmh across the northern part of the South China Sea and continue to intensify, the Hong Kong Observatory said. - Bloomberg
