16 Dead as Strong Typhoon Floods Macau, Southern China
HONG KONG (AP) — The most powerful typhoon to hit the
southern Chinese region in more than half a century left at least 16 dead as a
sudden deluge swamped the gambling hub of Macau, submerging streets and
stranding residents.
Macau said Thursday that eight people were killed in the
former Portuguese colony, including two men found overnight in a submerged
parking garage. Another 153 were injured amid extensive flooding, power
outages, and the smashing of doors and windows by high winds and driving rain.
"It's a calamity, the losses are high and a lot of
buildings need repair," said Macau lawmaker Jose Pereira Coutinho, adding
that he heard from many people who still had no water or electricity a day
after Typhoon Hato tore across the 30-square kilometer (19-square mile)
territory.
Coutinho said the flooding was at its worst in the older
parts of the city's downtown, where narrow lanes date back from Macau's time as
a Portuguese colony for more than four centuries.
"People were just swimming, they cried for help. There
were no boats. The water came so suddenly," said Coutinho, who slammed the
city government for having "reacted so slowly and so badly."
Casinos downtown "were either closed or barely
operating," while some resorts in the newer Cotai district were in better
shape but operating without air conditioning, Union Gaming Research analyst
Grant Govertsen said in a report.
The chief executive of Macau's local governme...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Kelvin Chan and Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press Tags: Major Incidents News Source Type: news
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