Hong Kong - Hong Kong began mopping up yesterday after being pounded by Typhoon Victor which slammed across the territory, leaving one dead, 55 injured and a trail of damage.
As the typhoon, the first to hit Hong Kong directly in 14 years, weakened and moved further inland to the neighbouring southern Chinese province of Guangdong early yesterday, life began returning to normal.
At the height of the storm's fury, a British engineer drowned late on Saturday as he reportedly tried to save two young Americans when they were swept into the sea by waves in the southern district of Stanley on Hong Kong island.
The engineer, identified as Mr Tom Larmour (44), was certified dead at hospital after fire services officers pulled his body from the stormy sea. The 20-year-old American was injured while his 19-year-old companion was unhurt. Winds gusting up to 127 km an hour pummelled the territory for several hours as Typhoon Victor raced in from the South China Sea late on Saturday. The storm dumped between 100 mm and 200 mm of rain over Hong Kong in one day, the Hong Kong Observatory said. - (AFP)