Nine performers hurt as hydraulic stage tilts at Hong Kong Coliseum ahead of concert by local singer
The injured people are the three members of Canto-pop band Grasshopper and six dancers; three of them went to hospital for treatment
The three members of popular Canto-pop band Grasshopper were among nine people injured when a hydraulic stage they were standing on suddenly tilted at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom on Friday.
The trio – Calvin Choy Yat-chi, his brother Remus Choy Yat-kit, and Edmond So Chi-wai – and six female dancers were slightly injured in the incident, according to a source with knowledge of the case.
“When the stage was tilting to one side, they slipped and fell on to the stage floor,” the source said.
Calvin Choy Yat-chi went to hospital by himself before paramedics arrived. He is understood to have been discharged after treatment and returned home.
Two of the six female dancers were bandaged by paramedics at the scene and taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for treatment.
The source said the other six injured, including Remus Choy Yat-kit and Edmond So Chi-wai, did not need hospital treatment.
Police were investigating the cause of the incident.
The members of Grasshopper were guests for a concert to be given by singer-songwriter Andrew Lam Man-chung on Friday night.
The source said the nine were rehearsing on the stage when the incident happened in the Cheong Wan Road venue shortly before 5.30pm.
It is understood the stage was just a short distance above the ground.
A spokesman for concert organiser Big Honor Entertainment confirmed a mechanical error was to blame for the accident.
The Fire Services Department deployed nine fire engines and five ambulances to the scene after an emergency call was made to police, who initially said the incident involved a round plate tumbling down and injuring 10 people.
“The female informant told police that about 10 people were injured and all suffered minor injuries,” a police spokeswoman said.
Government inspectors arrived after the accident to make sure the stage was safe, prompting delays to the concert, which had been scheduled to start at 8.15pm.
The patience of fans waiting outside the Coliseum wore thin, but they were eventually allowed in at about 9pm and the show carried on as planned.
Another performance is scheduled for Saturday night. It is not known if the rundown will be affected.
Wong Ka-kui, 31, the lead guitarist and vocalist of local rock band Beyond, died in 1993 after falling off a stage set during a television programme rehearsal in Japan.
Additional reporting by Raymond Yeung
