Rescue workers yesterday pulled a fourth body from the rubble of a rundown housing block that collapsed in Hong Kong as the government ordered urgent checks on all buildings more than 50 years old.
The five-story building, built in the 1950s, collapsed in seconds on Friday afternoon in Kowloon district, witnesses told local television.
“I saw bits and pieces of earth and tiles sliding down the wall at the beginning ... a woman was trying to climb out through the window. About 15 seconds later, the building fell like dominos,” a passerby told Cable TV.
Rescuers retrieved a fourth body — that of a woman — early yesterday following an overnight search, the government said in a statement, adding that two people were injured.
Rescue workers ended their search after a fifth person thought to have been trapped in the rubble was located elsewhere, broadcaster RTHK said.
Reports said that renovation work was being carried out on the building but the cause of the collapse was unclear. About 100 people affected by the collapse spent the night in two community centers.
Au Choi-kai (區載佳), director of buildings, said a repair order had been served on the owners of the block this month. However, he added that its condition was not bad enough to order its closure, RTHK reported.
Development Secretary Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) has ordered checks on all buildings more than 50 years old, it said.
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