POLICE and medical staff have been praised for their efforts in saving the lives of people injured in the Lan Kwai Fong tragedy.
Dr Leong Che-hung, medical representative on the Legislative Council, commended emergency staff amid queries from members of Legco's Security Panel on police deployment and their handling of the situation during the early hours of New Year's Day.
Twenty people were trampled to death after they slipped and fell under a crowd of New Year revellers in the trendy Central bar area. A 17-year-old boy has since died from his injuries.
Dr Leong told the panel that having seen on television the efforts of police and ambulancemen to save victims, it would be unfair to make critical comments.
''I really feel the police force and the ambulancemen were doing their best as far as life-saving was concerned,'' he said.
''As far as police efforts in the hospitals in relation to looking after the victims and soothing their relatives, I was at the Queen Mary and their activities were commendable.'' Meeting Point legislator also praised off-duty medical staff at the Queen Mary and Tang Shiu Kin hospitals for returning to work to help.