Women injured after falling from lift at Hong Kong skyscraper
Visitors to Central Plaza taken to hospital complaining of headaches after incident on 46th floor of city’s third tallest building
Two women were taken to hospital on Thursday after they fell from a lift that suddenly moved up as they were leaving it at one of the city’s tallest buildings.
The women, aged 46 and 72, were exiting the lift after it stopped on the 46th floor of Central Plaza on Harbour Road in Wan Chai shortly after 1.30pm.
“Initial information showed the pair lost their balance and fell to the lobby of the floor the lift was on when it suddenly moved up with its doors open,” a police spokesman said.
The women, who complained of headaches and feeling dizzy, were taken conscious to nearby Ruttonjee Hospital for treatment.
The spokesman said the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department had been notified of the incident at the city’s third tallest skyscraper.
He said the lift contractor had been ordered to submit a report on the cause of the incident to the department within seven days.
A spokesman for Central Plaza’s management said the two injured women had come from the second floor.
The lift involved was taken out of service and its management company, contractor Otis Elevator Company (HK) Limited, was investigating, he said.
It was the first time such an incident had occurred, he added.
Otis said they were gathering information in connection with the incident.
“There is nothing more important to Otis than the safety of our employees, customers and the people who rely on our products and services every day,” the firm said.
The skyscraper, developed through a joint-venture partnership between Sino Group and Sun Hung Kai Properties, opened in 1992 and has 39 computerised high-speed lifts, according to its website.
The building is 374 metres tall and has 78 storeys, with 58of those used as office space.
According to the latest contractor performance rating report issued by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Otis was among eight registered contractors ranked with three stars.
Sixteen other contractors had five stars and another two contractors four stars.
A department spokesman said initial investigations showed the lift’s electronic control circuit board had been damaged which had led to the abnormal movement of the lift.
He said the lift would be back in service after repair by a registered contractor and an inspection by a registered lift engineer.
