Hong Kong tree trimmer killed after gondola plunges 5 metres
A Hong Kong tree trimmer was killed on Wednesday (Aug 18) when the extendable arm of a crane truck suddenly gave way, dropping the gondola – in which she and a colleague were working – five metres and slamming it into the back of the vehicle.
Tsang Choi-yu, 55, and a 46-year-old colleague – who suffered an injury to his waist – were clearing branches for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department along Water Street in the city’s Western district at the time of the accident.
The gondola holding the pair was about eight metres above the ground when it dropped just after 9.30am, according to police, who added that initial investigation showed it had struck a metal stand on the back of the truck.
“The female worker was found unconscious at the scene and her colleague complained of pain in the waist area,” a police spokesman said.
The two were taken to Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam, where Tsang was certified dead at about 10.30am.
Police have classified the case as an industrial accident and informed the Labour Department and Electrical and Mechanical Services Department.
“The Labour Department immediately deployed staff to the scene upon receiving a report of the accident, and is now conducting an investigation to look into its cause,” a department spokesman said in a statement.
The Post has contacted the Leisure and Cultural Services Department seeking comment.
This article was first published in South China Morning Post.
