Hong Kong court grants bail to expatriate engineer charged with manslaughter over 2017 accident that left 2 workers dead at mega bridge site
- Engineer Remi Pierre Brouillet, 39, arrested upon arrival at Hong Kong International Airport on Tuesday
- Temporary work platform beneath Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge collapsed in 2017, resulting in the death of two men
Remi Pierre Brouillet, 39, appeared in Sha Tin Court on Thursday after police arrested him at Hong Kong International Airport upon his arrival two days earlier.
A charge sheet said the French national and Hong Kong identity card holder had “unlawfully killed” Anel Gurung and Okomba Onwuka at a construction site for the bridge on March 29, 2017.
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Brouillet was barred from leaving the city and ordered to surrender his travel documents. He is required to report to police weekly and avoid prosecution witnesses as part of the bail conditions. His next hearing is set for January.
The incident involved the collapse of a temporary platform beneath the then under-construction bridge, resulting in the death of the two workers, aged 22 and 40. Three others sustained multiple injuries in the incident on Lantau Island.
After an investigation and review of other reports, police said they believed the accident was related to the “serious negligence” of the engineer, who had been hired by a contractor.
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The force said the engineer left Hong Kong after the incident and it issued a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of manslaughter after seeking legal advice.
In February 2019, the project’s three main contractors – Dragages Hong Kong, China Harbour Engineering Company and VSL Hong Kong – each pleaded guilty to nine summonses involving 27 breaches of occupational safety.
The three companies were fined HK$264,000, HK$214,000 and HK$136,000 respectively, or HK$614,000 in total.
Their breaches included using lifting gear exceeding the safe working load and failing to provide and maintain safe plant and system of work, as well as falling short on providing the necessary information, instruction, training and supervision for safety.
