The fire services chief yesterday rejected criticism about delays in getting to the scene of last month's China Airlines crash.
And responding to complaints that the injured had to wait for 30 minutes before being transferred to a hospital he said a half-hour wait 'was not a problem'.
Director of Fire Services John Tsang Kwong-yu was answering criticism from some survivors of the accident at Chek Lap Kok airport on August 22 when an MD-11 aircraft crashed on landing and left three people dead.
Passenger Sunny Choi Siu-sun from Canada said many people were injured and had to cope with rain and fierce wind for nearly 30 minutes before rescuers reached them.
China Airlines flight attendants have also complained that one of their colleagues, Ho Lin-yi, 23, who suffered 15 per cent burns, was left on the runway unattended for a long time.
Mr Tsang said the injured, numbering more than 200, had to be attended by doctors or ambulancemen at the scene to make sure their condition stabilised before they were sent to hospitals.
'We've seen reports about victims complaining about delays. But the longest delay was said to be only 30 minutes.
