Two Probes Launched Into Deadly Crane Accident: CE

Chief Executive John Lee said on Thursday that two inquiries have been launched into Wednesday's deadly industrial accident on Anderson Road in Sau Mau Ping, where a tower crane collapsed and killed three workers.

Lee said he was "very concerned" about the incident, which also left six others injured.

He said the Labour Department is, along with experts, investigating the cause of the collapse and if anyone needs to be held responsible.

The police's Kowloon East regional crime unit has also launched a probe into the accident to see if negligence was involved and detectives will submit a report to the coroner, Lee said.

"The Labour Department has suspended all crane operations at Anderson Road. The department will also investigate the use of cranes at other construction sites by the same contractor. The cranes' operation will be suspended until approval is given. At the same time, the government will inspect the use of tower cranes at other construction sites to see if they are safe," said the CE.

Lee also said the government will assist the families of the victims in seeking compensation.

He said a bill to toughen penalties for safety violations has been submitted to the Legislative Council and he urges legislators to scrutinise it as soon as possible.

Police later in the day said their probe would take some time.

"This tragedy requires different opinions from different experts, including on the crane's material, design, whether the construction process followed procedures, its inspection, and if it followed guidelines when operating on the day of the incident. These will take a lot of time," said superintendent Wong Yick-lung.

Meanwhile, the Development Bureau said the contractor of the Anderson Road site, Aggressive Construction, will be barred from tendering for public works projects until the end of 2023.

The bureau also said depending on findings from the investigation, the government may extend the tendering ban or remove Aggressive Construction from the list of approved contractors.

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