HONG KONG — Authorities have charged two men with manslaughter following a deadly construction accident last year in which a massive section of scaffolding plunged from the 19th floor of a Kai Tak building site, killing two workers and injuring three others.
The arrests mark a significant escalation in the investigation, which was originally classified as an industrial accident. On Tuesday, police announced the case had been reclassified as manslaughter, leading to the apprehension of a 48-year-old scaffolding site foreman and a 58-year-old scaffolding worker on Monday in Ngau Tau Kok and Tseung Kwan O. The two men face a combined two counts of manslaughter and appeared in Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning.
Details of the Fatal Collapse
The incident occurred on February 20 of last year at the VINCITY construction site, located at 2 Shing Fu Street in Kai Tak, at approximately 4:56 p.m. A giant bamboo scaffold, reportedly measuring about 15 by 8 meters, detached from the building’s 19th floor and crashed to the ground below.
The tragedy unfolded as one female worker was operating on the exterior scaffolding, performing metal panel and glass installation. Simultaneously, four other workers were walking along the ground level when they were struck by the debris.
Two female workers—a 68-year-old woman identified by the surname Wong and a 54-year-old woman surnamed Lam—suffered extensive injuries and were pronounced dead after being rushed to United Christian Hospital. Both victims were reported to be primary financial providers for their families, including the 68-year-old, who was a single mother. Three other workers sustained non-fatal injuries.
Shifting Legal Focus to Criminal Negligence
The initial probe was handled by local police as a standard industrial accident. However, the reclassification of the case to manslaughter indicates that investigators believe the collapse resulted not from mere chance, but from potential criminal negligence related to the planning, oversight, or construction of the temporary structure.
The Eastern Kowloon Regional Crime Unit, responsible for the ongoing active investigation, has been focusing on determining the direct causes of the structural failure. Preliminary assessments by industry experts immediately following the incident suggested that the scaffold may have lacked sufficient structural ties, known locally as “pull and tie” anchor points, necessary to secure the temporary bamboo structure to the main building.
Safety regulations in Hong Kong mandate stringent inspections of erected scaffolding. A Legislative Council member stated shortly after the event that completed scaffolding must be inspected at least once every two weeks. The focus of the criminal case is likely to center on whether these required safety checks, maintenance standards, and structural integrity protocols were adequately followed by the site management and contractors.
The case underscores the persistent scrutiny of construction safety standards in Hong Kong, a city heavily reliant on high-rise construction and traditional bamboo scaffolding. Industry observers will closely watch the court proceedings, as the outcome could set a significant precedent for holding supervisors criminally accountable for lethal workplace failures, forcing contractors to prioritize safety protocols over operational expediency.
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