TENSION and temperatures were soaring throughout the infamous Chungking Mansions last night, after a power failure left the buildings' 5,000 residents struggling in pungent darkness and with a shortage of running water.
Scores of residents gathered at dusk to protest to management and the Yau Tsim District Office, saying they feared disease, looting and sex attacks in the buildings' rambling stairwells.
But police, who had swarmed through the same corridors only 48 hours before in search of overstayers and shady characters, were nowhere to be seen late last night.
Tsim Sha Tsui police said they had not received any reports of crime in the building.
''We are staring at potential disaster,'' said Yau Tsim District Board member Shabbir Shah.
''The place is hot and smelly normally, now we fear for the young and the old the conditions are getting so bad.'' ''The water is not running properly and women are fearing for their safety, everyone is united, Indians and Pakistanis, Nigerians and Nepalese, on this issue.'' Power started to fail early yesterday and by last night all five 17-storey blocks, containing scores of restaurants and more than 200 guesthouses, were out.