Kai Tak scaffolding collapse kills two

Michael Shum and Wallis Wang

Two female construction workers died after they were hit by a huge falling scaffolding at a construction site in Kai Tak yesterday afternoon.

Three other workers were injured in the incident.

The incident occurred at around 4pm at the site of residential project Pano Harbour on Shing Fu Lane, with the scaffolding - which is 15 meters tall and eight meters wide - falling from 19 stories above and hitting three women and a man.

Authorities said after preliminary investigation that a female worker was working on the scaffolding on the 19th floor when the scaffolding suddenly collapsed. She did not survive.

Among the workers on the ground floor, three were trapped under the scaffolding, with fellow workers nearby rushing to their aid.

A video widely shared online shows workers performing first aid on one of those pulled from the debris.

The two fatalities, aged 54 and 68, were unconscious when they were aided by paramedics. Sources at the scene said one of them wasn't breathing and had no pulse.

Both were pronounced dead after they were taken to United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong. The other three workers escaped with minor injuries to their chest, arms and legs.

Both victims were said to be breadwinners of their respective families. One of them was on her first day back at work after the Lunar New Year holiday.

The 68-year-old was a cleaner at the construction site who lived with her son in Kowloon East.

The 54-year-old had an adult son and daughter. Rushing back from the mainland, her husband was emotional at the hospital.

Sources at the scene said construction workers were removing scaffolding from the building when the accident happened.

The accident is being investigated by police and the Labour Department.

Head of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, Siu Sin-man, said the collapsed scaffolding was a temporary structure set up to install curtain walls or railings. The cause of the incident was not immediately known.

Siu urged the contractor to explain why the scaffolding collapsed, adding the site had been involved in a number of incidents and its safety should be reviewed.

Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Dennis Leung Tsz-wing said only trained workers could put up scaffolding and the structure should be inspected for safety every two weeks. The accident could have been caused by many factors, he said.

"It could be due to the snapping of safety ropes amid strong wind, which could cause a scaffolding to fall from a height," Leung said. "But the exact cause will have to be established by the Labour Department after examining the evidence."

It is for the department to determine "whether the incident involves human mistakes," he added.

In response to the accident, the Labour Department said an investigation is underway.

Developed by China Resources Land (Oversea) and Poly Property, Pano Harbour provides a total of 582 residential units with an area of 371 to 4,850 square feet. The development is expected to obtain an occupation permit from the government by the second quarter of this year.

Yesterday's fatal incident was the third industrial accident at the same site within the last six months. A construction worker in his 40s was injured last month after he was hit by a stone while working on the third floor of the construction site.

In November last year, a scaffolding at the site caught fire.

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com