Pair died from water heater fumes in home

A Towngas employee's son and prospective son-in-law died after inhaling toxic gas which spewed from an old-style flueless water heater he had been given free-of-charge by the company, the Coroner's Court heard yesterday .

Kan Ho-kin, 13, was having a shower at his Shek Kip Mei home when tragedy struck on January 17 last year.

His older sister's fiance, Wong See-keung, 27, was sharing the bathroom at the time.

All the windows in the flat were closed and carbon monoxide gas from the heater filled the apartment, poisoning the teenager and Wong, the coroner was told.

The pair collapsed and died.

The teenager's father, Kan Tak-ching, 48, a senior fitter with Hong Kong & China Gas Co Ltd, was given the heater in 1981 when he moved to the estate.

The last maintenance carried out on the heater was in August 1995, Mr Kan said.