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DISASTERJul 4Hong Kong taxi driver dies, two passengers hurt in head-on crash with busA Hong Kong taxi driver has died and two passengers have been injured after a head-on collision with a bus on Hiram’s Highway in Sai Kung. The crash occurred at about 6.47pm on Saturday near Pak Sha Terrace, when the taxi veered across the centre line and struck the front of a KMB route 92 bus heading in the opposite direction towards Clear Water Bay, police said. Rescuers freed the driver, 64, who was unconscious and trapped in the taxi. He was taken to Tseung Kwan O Hospital and later...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJul 4Hong Kong police arrest driver after high-speed chase ends in 5-vehicle crashPolice have arrested a man on suspicion of dangerous driving and trafficking dangerous drugs after he fled a stop and led officers on a high-speed chase across Hong Kong Island, ending in a five-vehicle crash that left one person injured. The force said officers attempted to stop a suspicious car on Wah Fu Road near Waterfall Bay in Aberdeen at 4.57pm on Saturday, but the driver sped off, heading through the Aberdeen Tunnel towards Causeway Bay. At about 5.35pm, the driver collided with a taxi,...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJul 42 hurt after being struck by boat at Hong Kong beachTwo people were hurt, including a man who suffered serious face injuries, when they were struck by a boat at a beach in Hong Kong on Saturday. Police said they received a call at around 3.05pm reporting that a man and woman had been hit by a boat at Little Palm Beach near Hang Hau Wing Lung Road in Clear Water Bay. The man was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei after sustaining serious injuries to his face. The woman had minor face injuries and was taken to Tseung Kwan O...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJul 4Hong Kong cancels T1 signal but warns of strong winds, showers into next weekThis story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The Hong Kong Observatory has cancelled the No 1 typhoon signal but warned the city will still be hit by strong winds, swells and heavy showers, with unsettled weather expected to continue until mid next week. The forecaster replaced the standby typhoon signal, issued on Thursday, with the strong monsoon signal at 3.21am on Saturday as Tropical Cyclone Maysak...South China Morning Post
DISASTERBREAKINGJul 3Hong Kong to keep T1 until at least 6pm as Tropical Storm Maysak comes closerThis story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will keep the No 1 typhoon signal in force until at least Friday evening, after which it will assess whether to issue the No 3 warning depending on the tropical storm’s intensity. The Hong Kong Observatory said Tropical Storm Maysak was estimated to be about 670km (416 miles) southwest of Hong Kong and was forecast to move...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJul 2Hong Kong issues No 1 typhoon signal on Thursday morningThis story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the No 1 typhoon signal at 7.40am on Thursday as an approaching tropical cyclone moved south of the city. The centre of the tropical cyclone was about 800 kilometres (497 miles) from Hong Kong, according to the weather forecaster, which said it would assess whether to issue the No 3 strong wind signal on Friday. “The tropical...South China Morning Post
DISASTERBREAKINGJul 1Hong Kong to issue No 1 typhoon signal on Thursday as tropical depression nearsThis story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 1 typhoon signal on Thursday, potentially marking the city’s first storm of the year, as a tropical depression approaches. The Hong Kong Observatory said the storm was expected to enter within 800km (497 miles) of the city later on Wednesday, before moving towards the vicinity of Hainan Island and Beibu Wan,...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 29‘Deficiencies’ in maintenance, repairs at Hong Kong parks mar visitor experienceInadequate monitoring, lengthy repairs and poor information for hikers are among the “deficiencies” that have undermined public safety and visitors’ experience at Hong Kong’s country parks, according to the city’s ombudsman, which urged relevant authorities to overhaul how they manage and maintain facilities. In a report released on Monday, the Office of the Ombudsman said it made 42 recommendations to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), all of which had been accepted...South China Morning Post
DISASTERBREAKINGJun 283 seriously injured after minibus mounts pavement, crashes in Hong KongOne pedestrian was killed and two people seriously injured after a minibus mounted a pavement and crashed in Hong Kong’s Kowloon City district on Sunday. Police received a report at around 5.48pm that a minibus travelling along Argyle Street had mounted the pavement outside Kowloon City Court, injuring three pedestrians, 13 passengers and the driver. The minibus was travelling from Mong Kok to Tsz Wan Shan. Police said three people were seriously injured in the crash, including a 44-year-old...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 28Hong Kong Observatory issues amber rainstorm signal, warns city to brace for rainThis story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The Hong Kong Observatory has issued the amber rainstorm warning, advising residents to brace for wet weather under the influence of a low-pressure trough along the southern Chinese coast. The forecaster issued the lowest of a three-tier rainstorm warning at 11.10am on Sunday, signalling widespread heavy rain would affect Hong Kong soon. The signal means that...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 27Boy dies after suspected heatstroke at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground in Hong KongA boy has died after showing signs of heatstroke, including vomiting and fainting, following a 400-metre training run at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground in Hong Kong. A police spokesman said the force was alerted at 5.11pm on Saturday that the boy, 11, had vomited and was displaying signs of heatstroke at the sports complex. “He was sent to Tseung Kwan O Hospital unconscious,” the spokesman said. The boy, a Hong Kong identity card holder, was certified dead in hospital at around 6.50pm. A source...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 27How does this NGO help Hong Kong fire victims, needy people get a dignified farewell?On a drizzly, windy morning in June, a family gathered before a tombstone at Wo Hop Shek Cemetery in northern Hong Kong to bid farewell to a loved one who died in the Wang Fuk Court fire. Beneath the muddy grave and scattered stones lies a man surnamed Hung, in his forties, among the 168 victims of the city’s deadliest fire in decades. Last November’s inferno also displaced nearly 5,000 residents. Unlike many victims who were cremated, Hung’s family insisted on a burial. “He passed in the blaze,...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 27Filipino teenager, 17, drowns after falling from Peng Chau bridge in Hong KongA Filipino teenager has drowned after losing his balance while walking on a bridge and falling into the sea off an outlying island in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post has learned. According to a source, the 17-year-old boy, who holds a Hong Kong identity card, was chatting with two friends while sitting on the railings of Chau Tsai Bridge on Peng Chau on Friday evening. At around 7.18pm, he stood on the railings and walked a few steps before losing his balance and falling into the sea,...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 26Woman dead after fire at Hong Kong flat, 3 others hospitalisedA 50-year-old woman has died in the wake of a fire at a Hong Kong flat, with three others hospitalised. Police said the fire broke out at Valiant Court in Ho Man Tin at around 10.04am on Friday. Fire services were immediately deployed to the scene and the blaze was reportedly extinguished soon thereafter. The force said three women and a man were rescued from the building. They were rushed to Kwong Wah Hospital in nearby Yau Ma Tei but one of the women, aged 50, was later pronounced dead. The...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 26Hong Kong police arrest minibus driver after cyclist killed in collisionHong Kong police have arrested a minibus driver for dangerous driving after his vehicle fatally hit a cyclist in North district. Police received a report of the incident in Ta Kwu Ling at 6.27am on Friday. Emergency personnel found the man unconscious at the scene, having sustained serious head injuries. He was taken to North District Hospital in Sheung Shui, where he was pronounced dead at 6.59am. The 74-year-old minibus driver was travelling along Man Kam To Road towards Sheung Shui at the...South China Morning Post
DISASTERBREAKINGJun 26Hong Kong issues red rainstorm warning as education authorities suspend classesSouth China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 26Worker dies after being run over by construction vehicle at Hong Kong sports groundHong Kong’s labour authorities are investigating a fatal accident in which a worker died after being run over by a construction vehicle at a sports ground. Police received a report at about 8.58am on Friday that a man had been hit by a vehicle at Kowloon Bay Sports Ground at Kai Lok Street and was trapped beneath it on the running track. The victim’s colleague reported the incident to emergency services. Firefighters arrived to free the victim, but he was pronounced dead at the scene after...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 25Hong Kong police bomb squad dispatched to check suspicious object in Quarry BayHong Kong police’s bomb squad has been called in to investigate a suspicious object discovered in Quarry Bay, with a source saying it was likely to be “mud, a rock or concrete”. The force was alerted at 4.52pm on Thursday to a suspicious object discovered on Pan Hoi Street in Quarry Bay. “The explosive ordnance disposal bureau has been summoned to investigate the object,” a spokesman said. A source said the object was not a bomb. “It could be mud, a rock or concrete - something of no value,” the...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 24Experts reveal why deadly Hong Kong blaze spread so rapidlyThis story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. As a judge-led panel continues its public inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, experts are set to give evidence on factors that contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze. Richard Yuen Kwok-kit, chair professor of architectural engineering at the City University, will testify on Wednesday before the independent committee regarding the fire at...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 23Driver, passenger hurt as taxi collides with truck in Hong KongA taxi driver and a passenger were injured after the vehicle collided with a truck on Kwun Tong Road in Hong Kong on Tuesday afternoon. Police said the crash occurred at about 12.25pm on the eastbound carriageway of the road, near Ping Shek Estate in Ngau Tau Kok. The taxi was headed towards the public transport interchange in Choi Hung when it struck a medium goods vehicle that was travelling in the third lane, according to preliminary findings. The cab driver, a 27-year-old woman surnamed Yip,...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 23Hong Kong declared Sars-free in 2003 – SCMP archiveThis article was first published on June 24, 2003. WHO gives the all-clear by Jimmy Cheung, Chow Chung-yan and Benjamin Wong Hong Kong is ready to spend $1 billion to rebuild its battered image and lure back tourists and businesses after it was officially declared free of Sars by the World Health Organization yesterday (June 23, 2003). Officials said the announcement had given the go-ahead for a campaign aimed at promoting Hong Kong as the best place for visitors and business in Asia. The...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 22Driver escapes as Ferrari catches fire near Hong Kong light rail stopA Ferrari caught fire near a light rail stop in Hong Kong’s Tin Shui Wai on Monday morning. Police said the driver reported the fire at 10.41am after exiting the black vehicle, which had no passengers on board, near Ginza Station. Photos and videos circulating online show firefighters extinguishing the blaze as traffic builds up behind the car, with smoke billowing from the scene. The fire was later put out. The front left side of the vehicle sustained the most damage, with half of the...South China Morning Post
DISASTERJun 22Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire inquiry panel rules out statutory powersThis story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. A judge-led panel investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has resumed its public inquiry after a six-week break to hear expert evidence on the cause of the blaze that killed 168 people last year. The independent committee probing the Wang Fuk Court inferno began its fifth round of hearings on Monday, with panel chairman Justice David Lok Kai-hong...South China Morning Post