Macau enlists Chinese army as authorities struggle with typhoon fallout

Anthony Wallace | AFP | Getty Images

Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers arrive to help clear debris from a street in Macau on August 25, 2017, two days after Typhoon Hato hit the territory.

Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops were deployed onto the streets of Macau on Friday to help clean up in the aftermath of a devastating typhoon and amid mounting criticism authorities were unprepared for the severity of the storm.

Macau public broadcaster, TDM, reported some 1,000 Chinese PLA troops left their Macau barracks to assist in the recovery. Chinese troops are rarely seen on the streets of Macau.

Dressed in fatigues and caps, some used shovels to shift mounds of stinking rubbish and debris cluttering public spaces, including smashed furniture, sofa and televisions, while processions of green military trucks rumbled along roads.

Macau’s leader Fernando Chui had requested the Chinese army’s involvement in “disaster relief” after the highest category 10 Typhoon Hato pummeled the world’s biggest gambling hub on Wednesday, the government said in a statement.

Under Macau law, the assistance of Chinese troops can be sought for such humanitarian purposes.