Two workers were killed and three others injured in two separate Hong Kong construction site accidents on Wednesday.
One of the men died after being hit by gas cylinders that fell out of a metal cage being hoisted by a tower crane at a site on Po Fung Road in Tsuen Wan. Police received a report at about 1.34pm that three cylinders and a fire extinguisher had fallen out of the cage from a height of about 20 metres.
Two men, aged 29 and 40, were struck by the cylinders and rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung for emergency treatment. The younger man, who was hit on the head and knocked unconscious, was certified dead at 2.40pm.
The 40-year-old man was also unconscious and sustained a bleeding right leg. His condition was listed as serious.
A third worker, 50, sustained minor leg injuries while running to safety and was sent to Yan Chai Hospital in Tsuen Wan for treatment. All of them were bar benders.
Police said two of the cylinders contained oxygen and measured about 153cm (five feet) in length and 21cm (8.2 inches) in width. The third contained acetylene and was 100cm long and 25cm wide.
On construction sites, oxygen and acetylene cylinders are connected to an oxy-acetylene torch to produce a hot flame for welding and cutting steel, reinforcement bars and metal.
