AS firemen pulled bodies from the rubble of a collapsed wall, the two demolition men who watched it fall decided to abandon the disaster site to eat at McDonald's, the Coroner's Court heard yesterday.
Lawyer Andrew Macrae appeared stunned by the apparent callousness of demolition workers Chau Wai-man and Leung Kwok-kit.
'Why did you [go off for lunch] in light of the alarming circumstances unfolding outside the Nathan Road site?' Mr Macrae, who is acting for the architectural firm overseeing the project, asked Mr Chau.
'Were you and Mr Leung worried about your role in the demolition that morning?' Mr Chau said they were indeed worried.
Six pedestrians were killed when the brick wall gave way at the demolition site of the old Fortuna Hotel in Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei, on September 9.
When Coroner's officer Paul Madigan asked Mr Chau if he might have touched the wall while manoeuvring his excavator machine, the demolition worker replied: 'It is impossible.' Both Mr Chau and Mr Leung have repeatedly denied bumping the wall with their machines.
