Flights postponed as schools and businesses shut down
Authorities in Hong Kong are bracing themselves for the arrival of a huge storm that has already wreaked havoc in Taiwan.
Weather forecasters say Typhoon Dujuan is potentially the biggest so far this year, and could infict winds of 140 miles per hour on the island. Many schools have been closed and hundreds of business are reported to have closed for the day, with workers being sent home. The stock market in Hong Kong has already closed.
Cathay Pacific has announced that it will cancel all flights in and out of Hong Kong from 10am UK time, and is predicting that flights could be suspended for at least 24 hours. British Airways this morning told News From Abroad that it has postponed one flight out of Hong Kong by 12 hours and is constantly reviewing the situation.
Hong Kong is by no means the only area in danger of being affected by the typhoon; forecasters say parts of mainland China are likely to be hit. Some 500,000 homes in Taiwan were left without electricity – and only the southern tip of the island was hit by the storm.
