Man dies after falling into lift shaft at his Hong Kong estate
- Initial investigations show he was a lift worker. Police are looking into how the incident happened
A man in Hong Kong died after falling into a lift shaft at a 17-storey residential block in Sha Tin on Saturday.
Police classified the case as suicide around five hours after the incident.
Emergency services were called in at around noon after a security guard heard a loud thud from the lift in the eighth block of Chevalier Garden on Hang Shun Street in Ma On Shan.
The man, 41, was certified dead by paramedics at the scene.
Police said the man, surnamed Chan, was believed to have taken a lift to a higher floor and walked out. He then used a key to open the door of the lift and fell down the shaft.
Firefighters and officers from the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department arrived shortly after the incident to carry out inspections.
Initial checks showed the man lived in the building and was a lift worker.
Police said no suicide note was found at the scene. The case was believed to be not suspicious, and further examination would be needed to confirm the cause of death.
Sources at the scene confirmed that the lifts were manufactured by Chevalier International Holdings when the building was built in the 1980s.
The lift was last inspected on Thursday and operated smoothly in the morning, according to Sha Tin district councillor Michael Yung Ming-chau.
Tse King-wa, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong General Union of Lift and Escalator Employees, said Chan was a senior lift worker who had more than 10 years of experience in the industry.
He said Chan might have used a key for opening a lift door in an emergency.
“There are only several designs for this kind of key. It would be easy for an experienced lift worker to open a lift door [with such a key],” Tse said.
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department said it was very concerned about the incident and had launched a probe with police.
Initial investigations confirmed that the lift in question was functioning properly and all landing doors were intact.
“The incident is suspected to be related to the unauthorised opening of the landing door of the lift,” the department said in a statement, adding it would thoroughly look into the matter.
If you, or someone you know, are having suicidal thoughts, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on +1 800 273 8255. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.
