Yet another man has died while working on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, while one of his colleagues is missing and feared dead.
At around 3:30pm yesterday, the cables connecting a temporary platform to the bridge snapped, causing three workers who were on board to fall into the sea, SCMP reports.
A 20-year-old Nepalese worker was able to release himself from his harness and swam back to the shore. He was later taken to North Lantau Hospital, Apple Daily reports.
The other two workers sank with the platform, and are believed to have been strapped into harnesses as well.
The Fire Department and the Government Flying Service deployed a fireboat, two speedboats, a team of divers and a helicopter to search for the missing workers.
One of the missing workers, a 22-year-old Nepalese man, was pulled from the water at around 7pm and rushed to North Lantau Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The third worker, a 41-year-old Nigerian man, remains missing. The search for him is ongoing.
Two other workers, aged 31 and 49, who were on the bridge when the accident occurred, were also injured by the snapped cables. They are both in serious condition with chest and leg injuries.
The Labour Department has launched an investigation into the incident. The Highways Department has suspended all work on the project until further security measures are put in place.
Eight people have died while working on the bridge since construction commenced in 2011. Prior to yesterday’s incident, the most recent casualty was in April 2016, when a 35-year-old worker fell into the sea from a height of 15 metres and died.
Reader Interactions