Pedestrians brave the strong wind and rain brought on by tropical cyclone Lionrock in Hong Kong on Oct 8, 2021. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - At least nine people were injured as tropical cyclone Lionrock brought strong winds and heavy rain to Hong Kong, prompting authorities to issue its third-highest storm signal early Saturday.

The Hong Kong Observatory raised the No 8 Southeast Gale or Storm Signal at 6:40 am, meaning that winds with mean speeds of 63 kilometers per hour or more are expected from the southeast quarter.

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The forecaster said the broad outer rainbands associated with Lionrock were affecting the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary.

"Under the influence of the rainbands, strong to gale force winds will continue to prevail over Hong Kong, with occasional storm force winds on high ground over the southwestern part of the territory."

"As a result, the No 8 Gale or Storm Signal will remain in force before midnight tonight," the HKO said.

It said it will consider lowering the No 8 signal to No 3 "when local winds show signs of moderation," and reminded members of the public to take note of the latest weather bulletin before leaving home Sunday morning.

At 8 pm, Lionrock was centered about 520 kilometers west-southwest of Hong Kong and is forecast to move northwest slowly towards Beibu Wan.

The Hospital Authority said as of 7 pm Saturday, two men and seven women had sought medical treatment at public hospitals.

Meanwhile, 94 people have sought refuge at 20 temporary shelters opened in various districts by the Home Affairs Department.

Local authorities have received 149 reports of fallen trees, three reports of flooding and three reports of landslides as of 7 pm Saturday. 

Public transport services were disrupted and schools were suspended amid typhoon signal No 8. 

In a release issued in the morning, the city's sole operator said MTR services were operating at limited frequencies.

"Additional staff have been deployed to check the overhead lines and track conditions and carry out any urgent repair work when it is safe to do so," the MTR Corporation said. The MTR bus services, however, have been suspended.

Daytime routes of Kowloon Motor Bus and Long Win Bus have also been suspended.

All day and evening schools were suspended for the day, so as the citywide vaccination services.

The vaccination booking for those affected will be rescheduled to a later date and they will be informed of their new appointment date and time by SMS notification, the government said.

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Lionrock combined with surging northern monsoon winds and heavy rain on Friday to batter the city, with one female construction worker killed when scaffolding collapsed in the Happy Valley neighborhood.