Hong Kong government to issue order for building owner to look into condition of structure after collapse scare
City’s building authority will also investigate if regulations had been breached
Hong Kong’s building authority will issue an order on Friday to the owners of a 61-year-old tenement block to carry out a detailed investigation into the condition of the structure, as it looked into whether building regulations had been breached.
The latest development came a day after a subdivided balcony flat on the bottom floor of the 50 Gillies Avenue South block in Hung Hom collapsed following days of heavy rain, injuring no one but rendering the block temporarily too dangerous for residents to live in.
On Thursday, government contractors tore out remnants of the collapsed balcony and propped up the rest of the building with trusses, as two more balconies were considered structurally dangerous.
A court-issued closure order ended at about 6pm on Thursday and affected residents were allowed to retrieve their belongings.
Retiree Chan Wing-yam, 65, the tenant of the collapsed balcony, returned to get his clothes, but he was more concerned about his tools. “I used to work in renovation and I’m now a part-time handyman. People can call me up anytime,” he said.