Hong Kong train forced to make emergency stop after elderly man takes ill and falls onto tracks in station

Passenger, 72, suffers head and hand injuries and is taken to hospital after falling off platform at Tai Wo station

Accident results in an almost hour-long suspension of rail service from Tai Po Market to Fanling station on East Rail line

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Firefighters were called to the scene. Photo: Handout

Published: 7:25pm, 22 Jan 2023Updated: 9:18pm, 22 Jan 2023

A train was forced to make an emergency stop in Hong Kong on Sunday after an elderly man waiting on a platform took ill and fell onto the tracks as it entered Tai Wo station.

The accident at 12.18pm resulted in an almost hour-long suspension of the rail service from Tai Po Market to Fanling station on the East Rail line on Lunar New Year’s Day.

In light of the incident, a lawmaker urged rail operator the MTR Corporation to finish installing platform gates at all stations along the East Rail line within three years, to prevent such accidents from happening again.

Police said the 72-year-old passenger, surnamed Tung, suffered head and hand injuries and was sent to Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin.

The service from Tai Po Market to Fanling station was suspended for almost an hour. Photo: Handout

The MTR Corp said: “Footage from the surveillance camera at the platform shows a male passenger wobbling suddenly. When the train was entering the platform area, he lost his balance and fell onto the tracks.”