Clips of flooded Hong Kong rivers, streets go viral online after heavy rain

Videos of flash-flooded rivers and overflowing pavements went viral on social media on Wednesday as residents in parts of Hong Kong grappled with more than 70mm of rainfall in 24 hours.The intensity of the floods prompted some users online to claim a picture of the extreme was outdated or even AI-generated, only to be proved wrong when a clip was shared by another person.“I actually live in the village houses right above that spot, so I wanted to post the video I took this morning to prove it’s not fake!” the user wrote.A photo shows flash-flooding near Tsuen Wan’s Allway Gardens. Photo: Facebook/Kaileung DiuThe earlier image, which was shared in a Facebook group, shows nearly identical scenes of flooding near Tsuen Wan’s Allway Gardens the day before.In the comments, another Hong Kong resident shared videos of overflowing pavements from outside her car window in Fanling, as a flash of lightning appears in the sky above.The local forecaster said areas such as Pok Fu Lam on Hong Kong Island and parts of Sha Tin, Tai Po, Sai Kung and Tseung Kwan O in the New Territories had experienced at least 70mm of rain by Wednesday afternoon.The Hong Kong Observatory issued the thunderstorm warning multiple times that day, starting from 2am.