Near-miss customers in shock after restaurant's false ceiling collapses

A huge false ceiling collapsed inside a restaurant in Fan Ling during breakfast hours yesterday when dozens of customers - mostly seniors - were enjoying dim sum.

Luckily the panel measuring some eight meters by two meters did not hit anyone.

Online photos show electrical wires being exposed after the collapse, which also left chunks of concrete on the floor, the largest one measuring 30 centimeters by 30cm.

The panel hit three tables.

An online video shows stunned diners being helped out by restaurant staff.

The restaurant owned by Tao Heung Group was shut down for the day to allow police, firemen and Buildings Department officers to investigate.

Veteran mechanical engineer Lo Kok-keung, who was not part of the investigation, estimated that the false ceiling weighed 45 kilograms, producing 77kg of force during a fall of five meters.

He said it was lucky that no one was directly underneath or "they would have passed out immediately if hit in the head."

Building inspector Jim Zai-nam said constructors normally estimate the weight of a false ceiling before installation. To avoid triggering the fire alert, the panel needs to be bolted to a metal frame with wedge anchor screws instead of being welded.

Jim suspected some workers placed the air duct, lights, pipes and other facilities on the false ceiling, resulting in its collapse.

Lo said the false ceiling was made of asbestos sheet and that it was probably too long, causing pressure on the metal frame, which then became bent and loose.

The false ceiling would have been more secure if it was just three to four meters long instead of eight meters. That way the metal frame and asbestos sheet would not have easily become bent, he added.

Yu Kam-hung, president of the Decoration and Engineering Association, said the collapse could have been caused by an aging concrete structure or unstable hanging.

Yu said the bent frame could have been the result of the collapse - not the trigger. It is possible that the concrete spalled, crushed the false ceiling and resulting in the collapse, he added.

Building inspector Lai Tat-ming suggested restaurants be fully inspected to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.

Some online users recalled false ceiling and concrete collapses in hospitals and malls.

A Park'n Shop supermarket in Fan Ling also had a concrete collapse on Saturday.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com