A scaffolding net sample from a large Hong Kong housing estate produced flaming droplets and ignited a fire in a lab experiment despite passing the authorities’ safety standards, a test commissioned by the Post has found. The findings have prompted calls from experts to review the standards set for the nets and improve the existing…
Fire safety risks still persist on construction sites across Hong Kong following the deadly blaze in Tai Po, the industry watchdog has warned, after a scaffolding worker in a major subsidised estate was sacked for smoking. Thomas Ho On-sing, chairman of the Construction Industry Council, on Saturday criticised the industry for failing to “learn a…
Hong Kong’s worst blaze in seven decades has exposed an ugly open secret of a murky and rapacious building renovation business that is plagued by bid-rigging and skyrocketing costs even as it staves off feeble official efforts to tackle collusive conduct. Experts and former insiders offered this grim assessment, pointing to the city as a…
By noon on Sunday, four days after the fire began, the government’s support fund had grown to HK$1.2 billion (US$153 million), with HK$900 million in public donations and HK$300 million in government grants. The total does not include donations to non-governmental organisations such as the Hong Kong Red Cross. About HK$1 billion was raised in…
Fourteen people were injured in Hong Kong after a coach struck a footbridge and had the front of its roof ripped off near the Heung Yuen Wai checkpoint on Tuesday. Police received a report at 12.12pm after the coach went up an auxiliary road linked to Lin Ma Hang Road in Ta Kwu Ling and…
Hong Kong comedy legend Michael Hui Koon-man, who plays a Taoist priest in the local blockbuster film The Last Dance set in the funeral business, has revealed his wishes for his own final day. In a rare sharing session on life and death issues with Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) medical students at Prince…
Technology capable of detecting when a flat or refrigerator door opens could help Hong Kong authorities remotely check on whether all is well with elderly residents living alone, a minister has said. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han also said on Saturday that the government was testing using wearable devices as part of…
As Super Typhoon Ragasa moves away from the city, we take a look at SCMP’s coverage of some of the worst storms the city has experienced. Click here to read more. Typhoon causes collapse in new housing estate By Staff Reporter This article was first published on August 17, 1971 The most powerful typhoon to…
Coastal and low-lying areas across Hong Kong have been hit hard by Severe Typhoon Ragasa, as it brought a significant storm surge and rainstorms to the city, inundating streets and promenades. Widespread flooding could be seen across the city on Wednesday morning, with the Hong Kong Observatory reporting that water levels in some areas had…
A Hong Kong warehouse worker has pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his 90-year-old father after burning charcoal at their home in a bid to take both their lives two years ago. The High Court on Friday heard how Au Chi-ming, 53, tried to die together with his bedridden father in August 2023 after…