Ten Hurt In Tsing Yi Incinerator Accident

The operator of a chemical waste treatment plant in Tsing Yi has been told to submit a report to the government within a month after a platform collapse there on Sunday morning left 10 workers injured.

Two of them were in critical condition at one stage, but their conditions have since improved. As of 5 pm on Sunday, one was in serious condition, eight were stable, while another worker has been discharged from hospital.

A platform at an incinerator that was under maintenance collapsed at around 9 am.

Rescuers arrived at the scene and found that six people had already escaped from the rubble themselves, and four were trapped under bricks and metal frames.

Heavy equipment was used to remove the debris, and life detectors and rescue dogs were also deployed to locate the trapped workers who were plucked to safety about an hour later.

Rescuers say the workers were trapped at different locations, five to seven metres from the ground.

Rescuers used metal frame to steady the collapsed structure before they got the workers out one by one.

Fifteen fire trucks, 18 ambulances, 99 ambulance staff and firefighters – including those from the “urban search and rescue team”— were sent to the plant.

The workers suffered injuries to their heads, back and legs. All of them were conscious when they were sent to hospital.

Authorities say they will look into the cause of the platform collapse. They say the platform was a temporary structure built for maintenance work of the incinerator.

An initial assessment showed the structure of the treatment plant was not affected.

The plant is under the Environmental Protection Department, which says it's extremely concerned about the case.

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