Workers critical after being hit by lightning
Three workers were injured, two critically, when they were struck by lightning in Sha Tin yesterday, less than two hours after the observatory issued a thunderstorm warning.
The workers, who were mending a man-made slope at Ma Lok Path on Kau To Shan, were hit while they were taking shelter inside a shed shortly after 9am when thunderstorms hit Hong Kong, police said.
Reports from the scene said 50-year-old Wong Lai-yuen was so badly injured that on two occasions his heart stopped beating. He was revived by ambulance officers as they rushed him to Prince of Wales Hospital where he was admitted in a coma.
His condition was last night listed as critical.
Another worker, Law Min-kau, 44, was also admitted in a critical condition. According to his daughter, who was at his bedside, he had regained consciousness.
A third worker, Lam Ching-chu, 48, whose hands were left blackened by the lightning, was admitted in a stable condition.
The three had been working at the site for about one year and were repairing the man-made slope and water-catchment area.
The observatory issued the thunderstorm warning at 7.45am and at 9am there were lightning strikes and a heavy downpour.
