Fire and rain spoil day for eager concertgoers

Thousands of Mayday fans were left disappointed when the popular Taiwanese rock and pop band had to postpone its concert at Central Harbourfront last night.

The concert was rescheduled to next Thursday due to heavy rain and fire breaking out on a mid-air suspended stage installation. The first show of the concert series on Tuesday was cut short due to a rainstorm.

The organizer, Unusual Productions (China), said bad weather on Tuesday night had caused damage to stage facilities and that "in order to ensure the safety of the audience, staff, and artists, the decision was made to postpone [Wednesday's] show to May 9."

It apologized and offered ticket holders the option of attending the May 9 concert or receive a refund.

Its announcement did not address the other five concerts scheduled for Friday to Sunday, as well as Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving fans uncertain about whether the shows could be similarly affected if the inclement weather continued or would go on.

In a video circulating on mainland social media platform Xiaohongshu, a balloon-shaped stage installation was shown catching fire around 2 pm yesterday. The fire was quickly extinguished.

Also raising alarm during the amber rainstorm warning on Tuesday at 9 pm was a video showing hail hitting Yuen Long, which went viral on the internet.

The Hong Kong Observatory said it was still trying to verify the authenticity of the report. "Hail reports have been received in the Pearl River Delta region, including Macau and Zhuhai, in previous years during these months," scientific officer Fan Man-hei said.

Residents of Lei Yue Mun, an area prone to flooding, called on the government to construct a seawall in front of the shoreline to prevent flooding during the upcoming typhoon season.

The area saw severe flooding when super typhoon Hato hit in August 2017, causing significant damage to low-lying areas, including Ma Wan and Ma Pei villages. Following the typhoon, a concern group was formed by residents to address the issue.

Since then, various measures have been taken to mitigate flooding risks, including the construction of a more than 400-meter-long rock seawall and a gabion retaining wall along the Lei Yue Mun waterfront by the Civil Engineering and Development Department.

The Home Affairs Department installed concrete retaining walls at the back of the rock seawall and along the pavements, while the Drainage Services Department deployed emergency response teams to inspect and divert drainage facilities.

Residents have found the sea and gabion walls to be effective in resisting floods and have suggested the construction of a seawall to protect squatter huts and prevent water seeping into pavements through the huts.