Chinese army mobilized as typhoon death toll rises
MACAU: The Chinese army on Friday joined relief efforts in Macau where at least nine people are now known to have died when a huge typhoon swept through the gambling hub.
Around 48 hours after Severe Typhoon Hato smashed into southern China, worst-hit Macau was still picking up the pieces, with the enclave’s government facing recriminations over its lack of preparation.
to Chinese authorities asking for the assistance of the People’s Liberation Army ( PLA) Macau garrison to assist in relief efforts, was handed over to China in 1999.
“The PLA Macau Garrison have joined hands with the Macau Government and the Macau public for post- typhoon relief and construction work,” a government statement said Friday.
Authorities said around 1,000 troops were mobilized in the morning.
Residents volunteered to pick debris off the streets alongside troops who were seen clearing away items ranging from computer
nine on Friday after a man’s body was pulled from a car park.
A further eight people are known to have died in parts of mainland southwestern China.
“It’s been absolutely devastating for Macau,” Andrew Scott, chief media company in the city, told Agence France-Presse.
“There is a real air of despondency. Each addition to the death toll is absolutely demoralizing to the citizens of Macau,” he said.
- self as Ben said he expected the PLA to handle the clean-up effectively.
“There are so many disasters in China, they can handle it in a couple of days, a situation like this could be
‘Extremely difficult’
On Thursday evening, as residents of the former Portuguese colony leader Fernando Chui and other government ministers bowed their heads for a minute’s silence and made a public apology.
“These two days, we have faced Hato is the strongest typhoon in 53 years and has brought tremendous damage to Macau,” Chui told reporters.
“In facing this disaster, we admit we have not done enough, there is space for improvement,” he said, adding that the city’s meteorological bureau chief had resigned.
Casinos, which brought in more than $28 billion in 2016— over half of Macau’s GDP— were among the casualties of the storm, and reporters who got inside the Wynn Macau found switched off slot machines and no air conditioning.
Other casinos and resort facilities in the city were either shut or running at limited capacity.
“It will probably take at least a week to normalize again and for visitors to feel comfortable about coming again,” gaming analyst Ben Lee of IGamiX consultancy told Agence FrancePresse, adding that some casinos were unprepared for the severity of the storm.