Typhoon Kalmaegi hits Chinese island after Hong Kong shutdown

A powerful typhoon has hit China's Hainan Island after sweeping past Hong Kong where it disrupted flights and forced the closure of the stock market and container ports.

Typhoon Kalmaegi buffeted Hong Kong with gusts of up to 98mph (159kph) as it barrelled west, injuring 29 people, felling scores of trees and causing floods and a landslide.

An earlier statement, which carried the most severe "red" alert, said that up to 400cm of rain was expected in some coastal areas.

In Hong Kong, authorities were removing debris and clearing a backlog of hundreds of flights that were delayed or cancelled. The government said there were 128 reports of fallen trees and that some parts of the city were flooded, with one report of a landslide.

Twenty-nine people had sought treatment for typhoon-related injuries, the city's Hospital Authority told .

Chinese tourists take pictures in front of the Kowloon skyline during Typhoon Kalmaegi. Photograph: Xaume Olleros/AFP/Getty Images

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/16/typhoon-kalmaegi-hits-hong-kong