A STEVEDORE plunged nearly 15 metres to his death as he loaded containers onto a ship in Victoria Harbour, an inquest heard.
Chow For-kan, 23, was thrown from a four-storey stack of containers after a fierce gale blew up as he transferred cargo from a lighter onto the Kuo Hsiung.
Shipping safety officer Ng Wing-hong said the tragedy was unusual because Chow was hurled nearly 15 metres horizontally before dropping the same distance onto the barge.
The stevedore, who worked for Hoi Kong Container Services Company Limited, died from multiple injuries following the accident shortly after 6 pm on September 16, last year.
It appeared Chow was holding some of the unhooked cable wires suspended from the barge derrick when they started thrashing about in the gale.
Mr Ng said that the winds caused the cable wires to swing so violently that Chow was catapulted off the container.
The Coroner's Court also heard a loose cable hook had caught Chow on the foot as it was whipped up by a strong gust.