2 workers cling to swinging scaffold 85m above ground as Typhoon Noul hits Shenzhen

Two construction workers found themselves trapped on a violently swinging scaffold more than 85m in the air on Sunday (July 26) when Typhoon Noul swept across southern China.

Footage shows the suspended construction lift rocking wildly outside a residential building at Zhongzhou Bay in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, reported Reuters. 

The workers can be seen desperately clinging onto the railings as the scaffold swung back and forth in front of the building.

The video also captures a moment when the platform crashes into the building's exterior, sending large slabs of debris plummeting to the ground. 

Chinese media reported that the two workers were eventually brought to safety, unharmed.

Typhoon Noul hits Southern China

Typhoon Noul, the year's 12th tropical cyclone and China's third typhoon this month, made landfall in Guangdong over the weekend.

It has become the strongest typhoon to hit China this year, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Noul, which means the glow of sunrise or sunset in Korean, is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain as it moves inland, said CCTV, with rainfall likely to persist until Tuesday. 

The authorities are bracing for overlapping typhoon and flood-season risks, with emergency and housing officials ordering stronger flood-control measures, inspections of critical infrastructure and the pre-deployment of rescue teams and equipment in vulnerable areas.

They also called for safety checks on key industries such as mining, hazardous chemicals and fireworks production.

Chinese authorities have been searching for 50 people missing after part of a mountain broke off and collapsed onto buildings in a hillside township developed along a river in Chongqing on July 17.

The storm also forced Hong Kong airport to cancel around 360 passenger flights and killed at least 10 people in the Gansu Province when flash floods swept through the scenic area, according to Reuters.

Typhoons typically affect China from July to September, with August being the most active.

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