Two men died and one was missing after unexpected wild and dangerous weather struck Hong Kong on Saturday afternoon.
A 53-year-old man died after being hit by lightning while hiking in Tai O on Lantau Island during the bad weather, Apple Daily reported. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the first Red Rainstorm Warning for this year two hours after a thunderstorm warning was issued at 12:45 pm.
The man and his two friends started hiking in the morning, but when they noticed the weather turning bad around noon, they decided to head home, so they walked downhill. At 2:32 pm, he was hit by lightning and collapsed. He was airlifted to Tuen Mun Hospital but late pronounced dead.
At about 4 pm, a family of four fell into the sea when their fishing boat capsized near Tung Lung Chau, an island off the tip of Clear Water Bay Peninsula in Sai Kung, Oriental Daily reported.
Three people, including a 58-year-old mother, her son and daughter-in-law, both aged 31, were plucked from the sea and sent to hospital, but the son was pronounced dead later. A search was underway for the father, aged 59.
At least 12 hikers were trapped during the bad weather and rescued by police and firefighters. All rainstorm warnings were canceled at 16.45 pm.
The Observatory said about 9,000 lightning strikes had been recorded between midnight on Friday and 6 pm on Saturday in Hong Kong with the bulk of them between 2 pm and 3 pm on Saturday.