Two workers killed in 500-foot fall after gondola splits in two
Two other workmen manage to climb to safety from scaffolding
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 25 March, 2014, 2:42pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 25 March, 2014, 4:11pm
Clifford Lo and Bryan Harris [email protected] [email protected]
Two workmen were killed and two others escaped injury when the gondola they were working on fell apart. Photo: Felix Wong
Debris from the gondola damaged a car on the street below. Photo: Felix wong
Two workers were killed today when they fell about 500 feet from the 50th floor of a luxury apartment building at The Peak, after the work gondola they were on snapped in two.
Two other workers, who were on nearby scaffolding, escaped uninjured as they managed to climb into the Tregunter Tower, according to police.
A police spokesman said initial information showed the workers were in the gondola carrying out exterior wall maintenance work at the time of the incident.
Workers fell about 500 feet from the 50th floor of the building on Tregunter Path. Photo: Felix Wong
“An initial investigation showed the gondola was split and two of the workers fell down,” she said.
One of the men who fell landed on a nearby hillside and the other landed on Tregunter Path near a lamppost. “Both were declared dead at the scene,” the spokeswoman said.
Debris from the damaged gondola also hit a driver who stood outside his delivery van parked in Tregunter Path. The driver suffered arm injuries and was taken to Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam for treatment
“The whole building came out after the crash,” said Andrew Leyden, a resident of an adjacent building. “We just saw a massive amount of dust.”
Police closed parts of Tregunter Path and May Road as it was feared the damaged gondola would fall to the street. The roads were re-opened at 12.30pm, about 90 minutes after the incident occurred.
Officers from the Labour Department were also called to the scene.
