Authorities investigate ‘loosened tubing’ at gas blast Hong Kong flat
Explosion injures three people, including one critically, and blows air conditioner, a window frame and glass from flat onto ground
Hong Kong authorities are investigating whether loosened tubing may have caused a gas leak and explosion that injured three people, including one critically, and blew an air conditioner, a window frame and shattered glass from a Lam Tin flat onto the ground.
The blast occurred around 3pm on Monday at Mei Tin House, a 34-storey residential building at Hing Tin Estate in Lam Tin. Dozens of residents were evacuated.
A neighbour reported a foul smell at about 2pm. When gas company staff arrived to investigate, the explosion occurred, the Post learned.
The 52-year-old male occupant of the 27th-floor flat and a man, 76, living opposite were hurt. The younger man sustained second-degree burns.
The pair were sent to United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong. The younger man was later transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei and listed as being in a critical condition. The older man was in a stable condition.
A woman passing by was injured by debris and treated at the scene by paramedics.
Windows in the flat were shattered and some of the frames hung loosely. An air-conditioning unit and a window frame landed on the ground below, surrounded by debris, including a cup and a plastic spoon.