Two workmen plunge 500 feet to their deaths after gondola splits in two at The Peak

Two workers - a man and a woman - plunged about 50 storeys to their deaths from a luxury residential building at The Peak yesterday after a working platform they were on snapped in two.

Police are also investigating reports that two other workers were also on the eight-metre metal cradle but apparently managed to cling on as it broke apart and climb uninjured back inside Tregunter Tower 3 on Tregunter Path, police said.

The two men were said to have left the scene before emergency crew arrived and crime-squad officers are investigating whether illegal workers may have been involved.

One piece of falling metal pierced the roof of a delivery van, injuring a 48-year-old worker inside. He was treated for hand injuries at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung described the fatal accident as "rare and very serious" and promised a thorough investigation. Eight people have now died in the construction industry this year. "This is worrying. We need to step up education, publicity and enforcement on all fronts," Cheung said.

The two people who died had been carrying out maintenance work to the exterior of Tregunter Tower 3. The as yet unidentified man landed next to the bulk of the broken platform. His body was badly crushed.