Mirror concert accident: signs of metal fatigue found in wire used to suspend screen, says government task force
- ‘Large chance that one of possible causes of incident is wire was subjected to metal fatigue, causing it to break,’ says government task force leader
- Meanwhile, group cancels first overseas show in Japan over ‘unforeseen circumstances’
A wire used to suspend a giant screen that crashed on to a stage during a concert of Hong Kong boy band Mirror shows signs of metal fatigue, according to a government task force investigating the accident.
The inquiry task force, ordered by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu following the incident at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom, met for the second time on Friday.
In the accident last week, a four-by-four-metre screen fell on to the stage during the band’s performance, injuring three dancers, with one of them in critical condition.
Hong Kong’s Mirror concert mishap: the unanswered questions
“On close examination under a microscope at the scene …. we believe that there is a large chance that one of the possible causes of the incident is that the wire was subjected to metal fatigue, causing it to break,” Lee Tsz-chun, chairman of the task force and an assistant director at the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, said after the meeting.
Lee added that more tests were needed to confirm the findings and that the task force was not ruling out any other possible causes. He noted the team had also gone over documents and graphs from the concert organisers.
He said they were also looking to examine the leftover wires and equipment suspended above the stage at the Coliseum, adding that seats and parts of the stage had already been removed to facilitate checks by experts at a later date.
The task force comprises officials from the Labour Department and Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, as well as an expert from the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers.
Meanwhile, a government source said investigators were also seeking a meeting with Engineering Impact Limited, the main contractor for the concert.
Some members of Mirror such as Anson Lo Hon-ting and Edan Lui Cheuk-on, who were on the stage when the screen fell, were expected to be among the witnesses attending interviews with police next week, the source added.
On Saturday morning, detectives from the Kowloon West regional crime unit will return to the Coliseum to carry out examinations on the lifting equipment and gather evidence. Government chemists and engineers from the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department were also expected to join, according to the source.
Authorities ‘focus on wire’ involved in screen fall at Mirror show in Hong Kong
Earlier this week, Lo Ting-fai, chief executive of MakerVille, one of the concert organisers, and Francis Lam Ho-yuen, a producer responsible for the group’s We Are Live Concert 2022, attended interviews with police. Officers also spoke to engineers responsible for inspecting the stage installation before the show.
One of the victims, dancer Mo Lee Kai-yin, 27, is in intensive care and at risk of becoming paralysed from the neck down after suffering a brain haemorrhage and fracturing the third and fourth vertebrae in his neck. The other performers who suffered injuries are Zisac Law Tak-chi and Chang Tsz-fung.
Wife of second injured dancer speaks about accident at Mirror show in Hong Kong
A spokesman for the Hospital Authority on Friday said Lee remained in critical condition with stable vital signs.
The developments came as the band pulled out of its first overseas performance in Japan over “unforeseen circumstances”.
Summer Sonic Festival, an annual Japanese bash, announced the cancellation of the Canto-pop group’s performance on August 20 on Friday. Mirror’s management company MakerVille also reposted the announcement on its Instagram account.
“Mirror will be unable to take part in this year’s Summer Sonic,” the concert organiser said on social media in English, citing “unforeseen circumstances”.
“We sincerely apologise and look forward to having Mirror’s participation in the future.”
The group was expected to deliver a 30-minute performance on the first day of the three-day festival in Tokyo. The event is returning after a two-year hiatus brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mirror’s talent manager Ahfa Wong Wai-kwan posted on social media for the first time since the accident last week.
“In these few days, I saw how fragile I am. I thank my family for their company. I want to thank everyone in the company for running around for us. I am also thankful for the sympathy from my friends and Mirror’s fans,” she said in an Instagram post featuring a picture of the boy band.
“I pray that Mo, Fung, and their families, and dancers can get through this obstacle. Mirror and I will pull through,” she continued.
Mirror member Lo, who was on stage when the accident happened, opened up about it for the first time on social media. In an Instagram post, he thanked his fans for their continued support and urged them to pay attention to the injured dancers.
“Every day I am trying to calm down,” Lo said.
“At this moment, there is nothing more important than the situation faced by Mo, Fung, Zisac and my other dancer friends,” he added. “Every day I am still hoping for a miracle.”
In the aftermath of the incident, authorities suspended all remaining shows and tightened rules on mid-air installations at public performance venues.
A cross-departmental investigation is under way, with initial findings stating that one of two metal wires holding up the screen in question had snapped.
