River ‘piracy’ gave towering Everest a growth spurt, scientists say
Police leaders jailed in South Korea over 'man-made' fatal Halloween crush
US to unveil first of two decisions on more solar tariffs
Which countries have pledged aid to Lebanon as conflict worsened?
Kremlin, asked on Iran's use of Russian comms devices after pager attacks, says trade is growing
Police release bodycamera video showing Ryan Routh's arrest
China's central bank buys 200 billion yuan of sovereign bonds in September
Brazil private economists forecast two 50-basis-point rate hikes this year
Braves host Mets in doubleheader to determine last two NL playoff teams
A look back on the legacy of basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo
HONG KONG (AP) — Rain pouring onto Hong Kong and southern China overnight flooded city streets and some subway stations, halting transportation and forcing schools to close Friday.
Videos circulating on social media show flooded streets in Hong Kong and nearby Guangdong province, with vehicles driving through the water and rescue teams using rafts to navigate the streets.
Water rushed down the stairs and escalators of a flooded underground subway station in Hong Kong, and cars were caught in muddy water on flooded streets, including in the cross-harbor tunnel that connects Hong Kong Island with Kowloon.
The heavy downpours led Hong Kong and the mainland city of Shenzhen to close schools, and non-essential workers in Hong Kong were urged to not head to their workplaces Friday. Most bus services in Hong Kong were halted.
The Hong Kong Observatory said it recorded 158.1 millimeters (6.2 inches) of rain in the hour between 11 p.m. Thursday and midnight, the highest recording since records began in 1884. More than 200 millimeters (7.8 inches) fell in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
On the mainland, more than 11,000 people were evacuated from water-logged areas in Meizhou, a city in Guangdong province, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Trains and flights were suspended in Guangdong and several landslides blocked roads the report said.
Shenzhen's total rainfall was 469 millimeters (18.4 inches) — the heaviest rainfall since Shenzhen started meteorological records in 1952, CCTV said.
Beijing issued a flood disaster warning for several districts of the Chinese capital, forecasting heavy rainfall through Saturday night.
The Hong Kong stock exchange did not open Friday as authorities warned that the extreme weather would continue until evening.
The city observatory attributed Friday’s rain to a trough of low pressure associated with the remnants of a recent typhoon.
___
Find more AP coverage of the Asia-Pacific region at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
