Many Australian retailers and exhibitors appear to be stuck in Hong Kong following the chaos of Typhoon Mangkhut that wreaked havoc on the city, knocking down cranes and destroying windows across the skyline.
As a result, the Jewellery & Gem Fair was cancelled on Sunday and reopened Monday 17 September at visitors’ discretion from 10:30am onwards; exhibitors were allowed to re-enter the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre that morning from 8:30.
Hong Kong is a city well prepared for typhoons, with a detailed warning system that alerts residents to the severity of any approaching storm so that they know how to respond. However, many residents were not prepared for the severity of Typhoon Mangkhut that battered the city with 100 m/ph wind gusts on Sunday.
The Hong Kong Observatory had labelled Mangkhut the most intense storm to hit the city since records began in 1946.
It is unclear when Australian visitors will be able to return home as the Hong Kong International Airport has been closed and flights are still severely disrupted.
AsiaWorld Expo event was cancelled on its final day on Sunday, however according to the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair website the bump out period ran on 17 September as scheduled.