STORY: Blackened skies unleashed torrential rains on Hong Kong and the high-tech cities surrounding south China's Pearl River Delta on Tuesday (August 5), disrupting hospitals, schools and law courts, and turning the Asian financial centre's many staircases into waterfalls.

Around 10,000 lightning flashes lit up Hong Kong's skies between 6 a.m. (2200 GMT) and 6:59 a.m., according to the city's weather authorities, as up to 90mm (3.5 inches) of rain per hour continued to drench the city and neighbouring Guangdong province. The deluge prompted the weather bureau to extend its highest "black" rainstorm warning until 3 p.m.

At Queen Mary Hospital, severe flooding inundated several areas and disrupted its Accident & Emergency services. By 10:40 a.m. (0240 GMT), the drainage service department had deployed pumps to alleviate the flooding at the department’s entrance, restoring some functionality.

The storms follow deadly flash floods in Southern China over the weekend, which left five dead in Guangdong province and prompted a large-scale search operation involving over 1,300 rescuers.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: FLOODWATER CASCADING DOWN STAIRCASES / FLOODED ENTRANCE AT HOSPITAL / FLOODWATER BEING PUMPED OUT / CLOSED RAILWAY STATION / FLOODED UNDERGROUND PEDESTRIAN PASSAGE / CARS MOVING ON FLOODED ROADS

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: RESENDING STORY TO CLARIFY THE RAINFALL IS "DISRUPTING HOSPITALS" (PREVIOUSLY "SHUTTING HOSPITALS") IN PARAGRAPH 1 / HEADLINE HAS ALSO BEEN UPDATED

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: HONG KONG, CHINA (AUGUST 5, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF RAIN CASCADING DOWN STAIRCASE

2. EXTERIOR OF QUEEN MARY HOSPITAL

3. RAIN CASCADING DOWN STAIRCASE

4. VARIOUS OF FLOODING OUTSIDE ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY (A&E) DEPARTMENT AT QUEEN MARY HOSPITAL

5. WORKERS PUTTING UP BLOCKADE OUTSIDE A&E DEPARTMENT

6. VARIOUS OF DRAINAGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WORKERS CHECKING SEWER

7. CLOSED ENTRANCE OF ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

8. FLOODED AREA OUTSIDE A&E DEPARTMENT

9. RAIN FALLING ON ROAD

10. PONDING ON ROAD, FIRE TRUCK

11. VARIOUS OF DRAINAGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WORKERS SETTING UP PIPES AND DRAINAGE MACHINE

12. DRAINAGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WORKERS WORKING

13. VARIOUS OF DRAINAGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WORKERS OPENING MANHOLE COVER

14. DRAINAGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WORKERS

15. WATER PIPE

16. WATER DRAINAGE IN PROGRESS

17. HOSPITAL WORKER DIRECTING WOMAN TO THE A&E DEPARTMENT FROM ANOTHER ENTRANCE

18. VARIOUS OF ENTRANCE AT A&E DEPARTMENT AFTER DRAINAGE WORKS

19. MAN WADING THROUGH FLOODWATER OUTSIDE CLOSED MTR TRAIN STATION

20. FLOODED STREET

21. FLOODED UNDERGROUND PEDESTRIAN PASSAGE

22. DASHCAM RECORDING OF CAR DRIVING ON FLOODED STREET

23. VARIOUS OF CARS DRIVING PAST SPLASHING WATER