Fatal crane accident kills 33-year-old Pakistani worker at To Kwa Wan site

A 33-year-old Pakistani construction worker died on Monday afternoon after a water tank fell on him during crane lifting operations at a worksite near Sung Wong Toi MTR station.

At 1.23pm today, police received a report that a 33-year-old South Asian male worker had been crushed and seriously injured inside a construction site opposite the A exit of Sung Wong Toi MTR station on Dakota Drive, Kai Tak.

Rescue teams rushed him to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, but he was pronounced dead around 3pm.

The victim was a rigger who had worked at the site for about six months. 

According to the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, the water tank was being lifted and lowered when it reportedly became unstable. 

The worker approached to release the ropes and was crushed.

He was a Pakistani permanent resident with Hong Kong identity documents, the main breadwinner for his family, leaving behind a wife and two young sons aged 3 and 2.

Chief executive Fay Siu Sin-man expressed deep sorrow and urged the contractor to settle matters quickly for the family. 

She called for a thorough investigation by police and the Labour Department.

The association noted that at least seven serious lifting-related accidents have occurred in the past two years, five of them fatal. 

Siu urged the industry to conduct proper risk assessments before lifting, ensure secure rigging, allow workers to proceed only after safety is confirmed, and have on-site supervisors present.

According to the Hong Kong Institute of Construction, riggers arrange and secure loads with ropes or chains, attach them to crane hooks, and assist from the ground.

Safe lifting requires at least four roles—rigger, crane operator, signaller for coordination, and supervisor for safety monitoring. All must receive relevant practical training.

(Updated at 6.44pm)