Protesters Defiant as Lightning Strikes Hong Kong

Crowds swelled Tuesday night, and a brief cloudburst cooled the air, seeming to energize the protesters.

Image: Sit In Protest Continues In Hong Kong Despite Chief Executive's Calls To Withdraw

Lightning strikes as protesters take part in a rally on a street outside of the Hong Kong Government Center on Sept. 30, 2014 in Hong Kong.Anthony Kwan / Getty Images

Sept. 30, 2014, 2:57 PM UTC / Updated Sept. 30, 2014, 4:17 PM UTC

Pro-democracy protests showed no signs of relenting even as lightning crashed overhead Tuesday night. A brief cloudburst cooled the air, seeming to energize the protesters, a group of whom shouted "Jiayou," or "Keep it up," and waved their cellphones with bright LED flashlights sparkling in the dark.

Image: Protesters take shelter from the rain under umbrellas as they block the main street to the financial Central district outside of the government headquarters in Hong Kong — Protesters take shelter from the rain under umbrellas as they block the main street to the financial Central district outside of the government headquarters in Hong Kong on Sept. 30.CARLOS BARRIA / Reuters