A LORRY driver was crushed to death when a container packed with 22 tonnes of shampoo fell onto the cab of his vehicle at a depot on Tsing Yi yesterday. The accident happened when a crane carrying the container toppled over and fell on 24-year-old Lau Wong-ting's vehicle. The container narrowly missed the two cylinders of inflammable ammonia sulphur fertiliser that Lau's truck was carrying. Firemen said a serious explosion could have occurred if the container had broken the cylinders. Some depot workers suspect the load inside the container may have shifted, while others believe the loader lost balance because of uneven ground. Lau had just loaded the ammonia sulphur from a cargo ship and was waiting to have it handled by a container loader at 10.14 am when the tragedy happened. Firemen tried unsuccessfully to remove the loader using cranes at the depot. Eventually, two huge cranes arrived at about 1 pm and lifted the container. Lau was certified dead on arrival at Princess Margaret Hospital. Loader driver, Chan Wai-hung, 24, suffered minor injuries. The Labour Department is investigating the accident. The chairman of the Container Transportation Employees General Union, Tse Long, said the accident could have been caused by uneven ground. The chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accidents Victims, Chan Kam-hong, said operators should be required to pass a test before being licensed. A spokesman for Faith and Safe Transportation, which operates the container depot, said the loader operator had more than four years' experience. He said the loader was regularly inspected and there was no indication of malfunction in previous checks.
