At least 32 people taken to hospital after reports of problem with exhaust system at Hong Kong ballroom

At least 32 people at a ballroom in Tsim Sha Tsui were sent to hospital after feeling unwell, reportedly after problems with an exhaust system.

Police said a kitchen worker was left semi-conscious after the incident, while others in the ninth-floor venue at the BCC Building on Carnarvon Road complained of feeling unwell at about 9.30pm.

A number of people were treated at the site but did not need to go to hospital. There were more than 100 people there at a private function at the time. Some guests reported a strange smell coming from the kitchen.

A man who had been dancing in the 1,200 sq meter venue said everybody in the premises started to feel dizzy at around 9pm.

“A few of us fell down, and then two chefs in the kitchen collapsed. Fumes kept coming from the kitchen,” the man said, adding that it took him 30 minutes to recover.

Another man said: “The air was getting thick but you couldn’t smell anything … many people found it hard [to breathe].”

As of 1am on Saturday, 13 people had been sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. Another 10 were taken to Caritas Medical Centre in Sham Shui Po and nine to Kwong Wah Hospital, also in Yau Ma Tei.

Firefighters were investigating whether there had been a gas leak. They said carbon monoxide may have accumulated in the exhaust system.

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that has no odour or taste.