Typhoon Kompasu: Schools and trading suspended as strong winds and rain lash Hong Kong

Typhoon Kompasu is the worst storm Hong Kong has faced in the last four decades

Hong Kong has suspended schools and halted the stock market trading for a day as heavy winds and rains from Typhoon Kompasu lashed the financial hub.

Winds raged at about 366 kilometers (227 miles) an hour and the Hong Kong Observatory issued a number eight weather warning.

A storm warning was increased to signal no 8 now on Wednesday, from no 3 on Tuesday, and it is predicted to remain in force until at least 4pm local time, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

Typhoon Kompasu — named after the Japanese word for compass — is the worst storm Hong Kong has faced in the last four decades. So far it has killed at least one person and left seven injured, according to a government statement on Wednesday morning.

The city has been brought to a standstill with gusty winds and rainfall as schools are shut and even the legislative council session was cancelled.

Several areas have experienced flooding with the government confirming seven cases, as 24 temporary shelters have been set up by authorities in various districts with 218 people seeking refuge at the shelters.

If the typhoon settles as per the forecast, the trading on HKEX is expected to start again on Thursday morning.

The typhoon was last tracked over the South China Sea heading towards China’s Hainan Island and later make landfall in Northern Vietnam. However, it has already wreaked havoc in Northern Phillippines.

The tropical storm has set off landslides and flash floods in the northern Philippines, where it has left 11 people dead and seven are reported missing, officials said on Tuesday. The storm also left several towns flooded and impacted over 6,500 villages.