Hong Kong buildings authority under fire over second case in 3 days of concrete falling from residential block
- Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn orders head of Buildings Department to look into blocks in city that have not undergone integrity checks after warning
- Latest case centres on ‘fist-sized’ debris falling from residential block at Po On Building on Mong Kok Road
Hong Kong’s buildings authorities have vowed to step up enforcement action against homeowners who fail to carry out mandatory structural inspections, after concrete chunks fell off a 17-storey block for a second time in the busy Mong Kok district.
The Buildings Department’s warning followed an order from Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho earlier on Wednesday for its head to investigate the number of blocks citywide that had not acted upon inspection notices.
The tasks included identifying parts of buildings that required urgent inspection and maintenance, as well as coming up with measures to ensure property owners performed their duty, Linn said.
She was responding to an incident at 8am in which concrete chunks as big as “fists” broke off the 57-year-old Po On Building on 30 Mong Kok Road. A photo posted online showed the debris landed on a pedestrian crossing. Police said no one was injured.
According to the Transport Department, some lanes on Kowloon City-bound Mong Kok Road were partly closed to traffic.
The department confirmed chunks broke free from an illegal canopy outside a rooftop flat on the 16th floor. It was the second case involving the site in three days.
On Sunday, falling concrete from the building hit a truck and injured its driver. Two men were arrested on suspicion of allowing an object to fall from height. The pair have been released on bail pending further investigation.