Typhoon hits Hong Kong...09/16/99

HONG KONG (AP) - A typhoon packing 93-mph winds pounded Hong Kong with a direct hit Thursday morning, causing floods, blocking roads with fallen trees and blowing the windows out of downtown offices. Typhoon York forced the closure of schools, financial markets and most other businesses. Ferry services to outlying islands and to the neighboring Portuguese enclave of Macau were suspended, as fishing boats scurried for cover. There were no immediate reports of fatalities, but 18 people had been hospitalized, one with serious injuries, a government spokeswoman said. Officials opened 29 temporary emergency shelters and said 131 people had sought refuge by midmorning.

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