By The South Asia Times 

HONG KONG - Hong Kong was hit by heavy rain, breaking the 500-year record as the city witnessed huge damages and one person lost his life.

 Chan Kwok-ki, Chief Secretary for Administration told reporters that rain heavy rain’s predictability is very low when compared with a recent typhoon.

“In a typhoon, we can make an early prediction, so we can make early preparation. But for this heavy rain, it was really so big that, as mentioned by our colleague, it was once in 500 years,” the Chief Secretary said according to transport released by the government.  

“It's so big and so sudden and the predictability is so low. That's why we cannot act as (in the case of) the former typhoon Saola that we can do the announcement very early beforehand,” he added. 

So far, at least one person has dead while downpours have caused widespread flooding and landslides, while roads are blocked and malls and train stations flooded since Thursday.

The administration asked the employers to treat the weather situation as if a typhoon signal number 8 is in force and should not ask staff to turn up for work unless essential, according to Radio and Television Hong Kong. 

“Firefighters have helped 20 injured people and evacuated 110," the broadcaster quoted Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung as saying.

He added that there have been 58 reports of people trapped in lifts and more than 300 reports of floods.

Director of Highways Jimmy Chan added that by 2pm, there had been 70 reports of emergency situations on the city's roads, including subsidence and 20 landslides.

After the Black Rainstorm Warning had been in force for more than 16 hours, the Amber Rainstorm Warning was issued at 3.40pm and cancelled at 4.45pm.