Gas blast

One of two decorators critically injured in a gas explosion at Ap Lei Chau is taken to Queen Mary Hospital.

The blast happened after the men, 45 and 55, entered a 13th-floor flat in Block 23, South Horizons. It is thought they touched a switch or lit a cigarette in a room filled with gas from a floor waxing solvent.

The explosion shattered windows (inset) and set off a minor blaze which was put out shortly after firemen arrived.

The workmen suffered severe burns to their heads, limbs and upper bodies. Their condition was described as critical last night.