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Firefighters search for people after scaffolding collapsed on Broadwood Road in Happy Valley. Photo: Felix Wong

Hong Kong typhoon: warning rises to No 8 after deadly scaffolding collapse at residential building

  • Female construction worker dies after being pulled unconscious from pile of bamboo poles at estate in Happy Valley
  • One hundred emergency personnel comb through the debris, pulling another worker to safety, while two drivers manage to free themselves

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The Observatory raised the No 8 southeast storm signal at 6.40am on Saturday as Tropical Storm Lionrock’s strengthening winds continued to batter Hong Kong, a day after one person died as torrential weather descended on the city.

All day classes were suspended as a result of the storm signal upgrade to the third highest warning, the Education Bureau said.

A worker died and three other people were trapped after massive scaffolding around a high-rise residential estate collapsed on Friday morning under the onslaught of heavy rain and strong winds brought by the tropical storm.

A female construction worker, 55, was found gravely injured in the wreckage of 30 floors worth of bamboo poles and netting at the Beverly Hill estate on Broadwood Road in Happy Valley during a rescue effort involving 100 firefighters and paramedics.

Two drivers were also trapped in their vehicles after the scaffolding – measuring about 100 metres (330 feet) by 150 metres – came crashing down onto the road below at around 10am.

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Scaffolding collapses as heavy wind and rains lash Hong Kong amid typhoon warning

Scaffolding collapses as heavy wind and rains lash Hong Kong amid typhoon warning

Torrential downpours prompted the Observatory to raise the black rainstorm warning at 11.45am, the highest level, at which the public is advised to take shelter and most of Hong Kong shuts down. The warning was downgraded an hour later.

The Observatory had already issued the No 3 typhoon warning signal, as Tropical Storm Lionrock began threatening the city.

“Lionrock will be closest to Hong Kong [on Saturday] morning, skirting about 500km (310 miles) to the southwest of the territory,” it said.

By 4pm, 300mm (11.8 inches) of rain had fallen, breaking the record for a single-day downpour in the month of October, while some areas had been inundated with 400mm as of 11pm.

A total of seven people – five men and the two women – were working at the renovation site at the Happy Valley building when the scaffolding came crashing down, completely covering the entrance to the private housing estate and blocking the road below.

The injured woman was pronounced dead at Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai at about 12.45pm. A male worker, who was also trapped under the debris, was rescued by firefighters without injury while the rest of the workforce was found to be safe.

Assistant divisional officer Wong Ka-ho of the Fire Services Department said 18 fire engines and eight ambulances were sent to the scene after receiving a report at 10.16am.

Firefighters spent 80 minutes trying to rescue the woman, who was unconscious when they finally reached her.

Wong said the sheer number of bamboo poles and the amount of debris “hampered our efforts to find and rescue her and the passage to reach her was narrow”, adding the bad weather made the operation more difficult, with firefighters under threat from further collapses of scaffolding.

The site would be handed over to the relevant authorities to conduct their investigations, he added.

The two drivers trapped in their vehicles were able to climb out before firefighters arrived, Wong said.

One driver was unharmed, but a piece of scaffolding smashed through the windscreen of the other car and struck the driver in the arm, according to vehicle’s owner.

The owner said the amber rain warning in force at the time was insufficient for the weather conditions. “To be honest, the rain and the wind was so bad this morning the red or black rain warning should have been in place earlier.

“The bamboo went through the car and hit his arm … lucky it was not farther to the right.”

A homeowner said the black rain warning should have been issued earlier to suspend building works before people were on-site. “The company concerned should have really cancelled the work day for its staff under these conditions,” he said.

The Labour Department said officials had visited the site and were investigating the incident.

Earlier, the department urged employers across the city to assess whether staff needed to head into work and to consider making alternative arrangements.

The Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union said lessons must be learned and urged contractors to ensure worker safety.

A spokeswoman for CR Construction Company, the contractor for the renovations, said staff had been sent to the site to look into the accident.

The management office at Beverly Hill told residents that CR was clearing the debris and aimed to reopen the road later on Friday.

Some residents said the scaffolding at the tower block had been in place for about a year for renovation work and the poles fell when people were waiting for taxis and entering the estate.

Emergency personnel rescued four people after scaffolding collapsed on Broadwood Road in Happy Valley. Photo: Felix Wong

The severe weather caused widespread disruption across the city. Flooding was reported in districts including Causeway Bay, Tsuen Wan, Quarry Bay and Chai Wan. Several major roads were badly affected, including a key westbound section of King’s Road outside Quarry Bay MTR station.

The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority said the ACT college entrance exam slated for Friday afternoon would be postponed. Court hearings were also suspended, with those affected to resume on October 11.

Many parents took to social media to criticise the Observatory and the Education Bureau for only shutting down kindergarten classes before the black rainstorm signal was issued, leaving the rest of the student population exposed to the harsh weather.

Heavy rain and strong winds battered Hong Kong on Friday. Photo: Felix Wong

Kong Wai, acting senior scientific officer at the Observatory, said the conditions were stronger than expected.

“We do understand this morning’s situation with the heavy rain was different from the usual situation we expected,” he said.

Alice Pang, director of Hong Kong’s Drainage Services Department, said the deluge threatened to overwhelm the capacity of the drainage systems in some areas.

“A lot of time, mud and sand, rubbish and fallen leaves will be washed into the collection drains during heavy rains and cause blockages, which would lead to floods,” she said.

Pang said her department had sent cleaning teams to affected areas and managed to reduce flooding levels in a relatively short period of time.

Strong winds and heavy rain were also likely to put a damper on the weekend, the Observatory said, although residents would get a reprieve from the heat with temperatures falling to between 26 and 29 degrees Celsius.

It added the storm would be moving closer to the coast of Guangdong province than previously expected, bringing heavy rain, squalls and rough seas until Sunday.

Clouds gather over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. Photo: Felix Wong
The typhoon signal was the fourth this year, and the third No 3 warning. Typhoon Chanthu, which charted a course for Shanghai, Japan and South Korea last month, did not bring wet weather to Hong Kong, but its effects were still felt in the city.

The city experienced the hottest September since records started in 1884, the Observatory said on Tuesday, with a monthly mean maximum temperature of 32.8 degrees, 2.7 degrees higher than the 1981 to 2010 normal.

Additional reporting by Kathleen Magramo, Zoe Low and Danny Lee

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Scaffolding collapse in deluge kills woRker
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