Tram services suspended after skip falls from Hong Kong mall
Crane thought to be unable to bear weight of skip causing it to fall and damage overhead wire
Tram services in Happy Valley were suspended on Tuesday after a skip fell from a shopping mall and damaged part of an overhead wire.
The Happy Valley Loop tram service was not in operation in the morning and one lane of Percival Street, near Lee Theatre, was closed to traffic.
A Transport Department spokesman said at the time that it was not known when the service would resume.
Police received a report at around 1.45am on Tuesday that a skip measuring 2.4 metres by 1.7 metres had fallen from a height at the Lee Theatre Plaza, at the junction of Sharp Street East and Percival Street in Causeway Bay.
The skip damaged part of a canopy at the shopping mall as well as the overhead wire of the nearby tramway.
Local media reported that workers were trying to transfer the skip that was being used for maintenance work on the mall’s air conditioning system. It was suspected the crane used to carry the skip could not bear the load.
No one was injured in the accident.
Man, 59, dies and colleague hurt in fall from scaffolding mounted on Hong Kong flats
A spokesman for Hong Kong Tramways said one overhead span wire was damaged and work was under way to repair it. As requested by police, the tram operator shut down the power supply of the affected area and unlocked other span wires for crane lorries to enter the area for follow-up work.
“Upon completion of the repairs, we will inform the transport department and the public at once regarding resuming normal service in the Happy Valley Loop,” the spokesman said.
The Labour Department has launched an investigation to look into the cause of the accident.
Tram services resumed at 10pm on Tuesday night.
