Briefs, February 13, 2013
More than 370 Cathay Pacific passengers were held up for six hours yesterday after faults were found with two airliners. Some passengers argued with staff at a boarding gate for Sapporo-bound flight CX2580.
More than 370 Cathay Pacific passengers were held up for six hours yesterday after faults were found with two airliners. Some passengers argued with staff at a boarding gate for Sapporo-bound flight CX2580. The flight was due to leave at 11.15am but it was 5pm before it took off. A spokesman said a fault was found in the engine of the original plane. A second plane to replace it also had a technical problem. A third plane made the journey. It was the fourth Cathay flight to be delayed by faults this year. On January 11, a technical fault delayed Sapporo-bound CX580 for three hours. On January 9, CX798 from Jakarta was delayed for 16 hours by an electrical fault. And CX632, from Chennai, India, on January 6, was delayed for 24 hours by a technical fault.
Ocean Park stopped selling tickets for 2-1/2 hours yesterday afternoon as visitors flooded into the park on the third day of the Lunar New Year. The park implemented its crowd management measures and ticket sales resumed at 4.30pm. Disneyland said it had a record-breaking number of visitors - more than 40,000 by 4pm.
A government hotline to keep local mothers supplied with milk formula has had more than 5,000 calls since the start of the month, when it was set up, Health Minister Dr Ko Wing-man said. He said the hotline was no longer available 24 hours a day as it had "very few calls" in the middle of the night. The supply was stable over the holiday.
Fourteen people were arrested early yesterday after two of them were attacked by 30 people in Tsim Sha Tsui. The two drove off, hitting another person nearby. The three were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where they were arrested for fighting in a public place. The police arrested 11 other people, aged 22 to 44, for unlawful assembly at the hospital. The case is being investigated.
A 56-year-old homeless man was found dead in Sham Shui Po yesterday. A volunteer found him lying in Tung Chau Street. He was confirmed dead by paramedics. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Health Minister Dr Ko Wing-man sought to ease bird flu fears, saying Guiyang , Guizhou - where two people are in critical condition with H5N1 - did not supply Hong Kong with chickens, which carry the virus. He said there was no need to raise the bird flu alert level.
A 56-year-old Japanese tourist died in Queen Elizabeth Hospital after he fell ill in a hotel on Nathan Road, in Tsim Sha Tsui, early yesterday morning.
