Hong Kong police arrest subcontractor after Singaporean, Malaysian tourists among 3 injured by falling glass at hotel construction site
According to the force, the victims comprised two men and a woman, with the trio including two tourists from Singapore and Malaysia. They all suffered minor injuries during the incident and were sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment, it added.
Police also arrested the subcontractor, a 58-year-old man, on suspicion of allowing an object to fall from height. Officers have cordoned off the area as a safety measure.
The site of the Mariners’ Club, which opened in 1967 to local and visiting sailors, was earmarked for redevelopment after the old venue was demolished in 2018.
Property developer Empire Group is creating its 42-storey, 500-room Kimpton Hotel, with the 340,000 sq ft building to house the historic club. Works were initially expected to be completed in 2022.
The project previously entered the media spotlight last March when a massive No 4 alarm fire broke out at the site, which was covered in bamboo scaffolding.
Firefighters battled the blaze for nine hours before it was extinguished. Some 130 neighbourhood residents were evacuated during the incident.
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The Buildings Department in January of this year also said it planned to investigate the site, after steel bars used in the construction efforts were found to have been intended for a separate project.
The move was prompted by allegations from public affairs concern group Chinat Monitor that the project had adopted problematic construction practices.
The department said its test reports suggested that one of the 17 batches of reinforcing bars was found to be originally intended for an industrial building project on Ta Chuen Ping Street in Kwai Chung.
The remainder complied with the approved plans and regulations, with “no irregularity” in their quality, the department added.