‘2 arrested’ after concrete canopy attached to 57-year-old building collapses, injuring Hong Kong driver
- Flat owner and chairman of building’s owners’ corporation arrested, according to police source
- Resident reports incident upon discovering concrete canopy had dropped and hit truck parked on ground
Two men including a flat owner were arrested after a concrete canopy attached to a 57-year-old building collapsed and fragments of it hit a truck driver on Sunday afternoon, according to a Hong Kong police source.
The structure on the rooftop was about four to five metres (16 feet) long, according to a source familiar with the investigation. The flat owner and chairman of the building’s owners’ corporation were arrested on suspicion of allowing an object to fall from height, the insider said.
According to police, a resident reported the incident at 2.34pm after hearing a loud noise from outside the Po On Building located on 30 Mong Kok Road, and discovered the canopy attached to the exterior wall had dropped and hit the truck parked on the ground.
The 57-year-old driver, surnamed Chiu, suffered a waist injury while trying to avoid the falling fragments and was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for treatment.
Concrete fragments were seen scattered on the ground of the affected area, which is about 30 by 30 metres. Three of four lanes of the road heading towards Sai Yeung Choi Street were closed at one point. The road was fully reopened at 7.30pm.
The source said the Fire Department would continue to investigate and clear any remaining parts of the canopy from the exterior.
The Buildings Department said it sent personnel to inspect the exterior wall of the structure and found no obvious risks.