Floor of HK flat partially collapses; no one hurt

Part of the concrete floor of this second-floor unit in Hong Kong crumbled under torrential rain early yesterday. Twenty-two residents were evacuated. The local authorities said the block was not in immediate danger of collapse and the residents may
Part of the concrete floor of this second-floor unit in Hong Kong crumbled under torrential rain early yesterday. Twenty-two residents were evacuated. The local authorities said the block was not in immediate danger of collapse and the residents may be able to return home in one to two days. The partial collapse could be due to the rain as well as lack of repair. PHOTO: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

HONG KONG • Residents of a Hong Kong tenement building in Hung Hom miraculously escaped injuries after part of the floor of their flat collapsed under torrential rain early yesterday, reported the South China Morning Post.

No one was hurt in the incident.

An amber rainstorm warning was in place when firefighters were deployed to conduct a rescue operation just after 2am.

Part of the concrete floor of a second-floor unit - which formed a veranda above the ground-floor shophouse - had crumbled, exposing the interior of what looked like a sub-divided unit.

Furniture and other items fell from the flat to the ground below, while a bunk bed was left dangling from the edge.

Twenty-two residents, including the affected flat's tenant, were evacuated and temporarily relocated to a community centre as officials from the Buildings Department checked on the structural safety of the seven-storey tenement block, which is slated for redevelopment.

Mr Ronnie Wong, senior building surveyor from the department, said the block was not in any immediate danger of collapse.

The officials are hoping to arrange for evacuated residents to return to their flats in one to two days.

He added that the partial collapse of the flat's floor in the building, which he described as being "very old", could be due to the rain as well as lack of repair over the years.

The safety of Hong Kong's ageing buildings has come under the spotlight in recent years.

In January 2010, a 55-year-old building in Ma Tau Wai Road, also in Hung Hom, collapsed in a matter of seconds, burying residents and killing four.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 22, 2017, with the headline Floor of HK flat partially collapses; no one hurt. Subscribe