Gas outage in Admiralty disrupts restaurants after suspected water main burst

Multiple commercial buildings in Admiralty were affected by a sudden gas supply disruption on Wednesday morning (Apr 15) after a suspected burst water main reportedly caused water seepage into a gas pipeline, forcing a temporary shutdown of gas supply across the district.

The outage affected several major office towers, including Lippo Centre, CITIC Tower, Far East Finance Centre and Admiralty Centre. Restaurants and eateries in the area were among the hardest hit, with some suspending operations during the lunchtime rush or relying on deliveries from other branches to continue limited service.

The restaurant at the Legislative Council was also reported to be operating under restricted service.

Preliminary reports suggest the incident was triggered by a ruptured underground fresh water pipe, which led to water entering the gas pipeline and prompting a safety-related suspension of service.

The Water Supplies Department deployed emergency crews to carry out repairs, while the gas provider arranged temporary cooking equipment for some affected businesses to help maintain basic operations.

Towngas said it has assisted with repairs and contacted the affected restaurants to provide temporary cooking stoves and fuel to meet their business needs.

Investigations into the cause of the pipe burst are ongoing.