One resident dead, nine firemen injured in suspected gas blast

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One resident dead, nine firemen injured in suspected gas blast at Kowloon housing estate

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 22 November, 2014, 1:06pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 22 November, 2014, 3:49pm

Staff reporter

Screenshot from Hong Kong Cable TV footage showing medics carry an injured man into an emergency vehicle at the site of an explosion in Shek Kip Mei on Saturday. Photo: SCMP Pictures

A resident was found dead inside a flat in a Kowloon housing estate where a suspected gas blast happened after midday on Saturday. Nine firefighters and a number of residents were also injured in the explosion.

The body of the deceased, believed to be a resident in the 11th-floor flat of Mei Ying House in Shek Kip Mei Estate, was lying behind the kitchen door when found by firefighters, said Ng Wai-keung, assistant director of the Fire Services Department.

Ng said nine firefighters arrived at the scene four minutes after the gas leakage report was made, and all of them were injured in the subsequent operation.

“Our colleagues knocked at the door and no one answered, so they broke into the unit. Then an explosion occurred during the rescue,” he said.

It was not clear if the deceased had died before or in the blast.

A principal fireman surnamed Leung sustained severe injuries in the head. He remains in critical condition and is undergoing an emergency brain surgery at Princess Margaret Hospital, said director of fire services Lai Man-hin. The other injured officers suffered burns to their faces and hands, Lai said after visiting his colleagues at the hospital.

“The department is very sad about the injuries of the nine colleagues. We have contacted their families and told them we would provide all the necessary assistance we can,” Lai said.

The cause and time of the explosion were still unknown. The department has formed an investigation team to look into the incident.

A witness who lives on the 30th floor told the RTHK that grey smoke had billowed from the flat for almost half an hour before the explosion.

A total of 12 injured victims were taken to Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung, Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei and Caritas Medical Centre in Sham Shui Po, according to the Government Information Service.

Television footage at 12.45 pm showed evacuated residents gathering in open spaces in the estate, with people with minor injuries receiving first aid and several ambulances standing by.