THE last of the accused in the Fortuna Hotel demolition tragedy which claimed six lives, were freed yesterday when the Crown dropped their cases.
Last week, six building professionals involved in the demolition were freed when the prosecution decided not to proceed with their summonses.
Government experts had said there was a case to answer over the collapse of part of the old hotel in Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei, on September 9, 1994.
But independent expert opinion obtained by the Crown said there was no evidence against any of the 10 defendants.
A total of two companies and eight building professionals were accused of permitting the demolition work to be carried out in a dangerous manner.
It is understood the independent specialist Wong Chi-ming, a structural engineer in private practice, and the department differed over who should have noticed the 'abnormal' configuration of metal rods on the third floor, where the demolition was taking place, and who should have taken appropriate action.
When workers began tearing down a third-storey column, the balcony floor tilted downwards, sending bricks and cement tumbling on to the walkway below. Six pedestrians were crushed or suffocated under the debris.