The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is investigating a lift incident involving suspected rope breakage that happened at Heng On Estate, Ma On Shan, last night (January 11).
"Upon receipt of a report from the Fire Services Department at around 9.40pm yesterday (January 11) about a lift entrapment incident, involving suspected rope breakage, at Lift No.7 of Heng Shan House, EMSD officers immediately conducted an on-site investigation," an EMSD spokesman said today (January 12).
EMSD preliminary findings revealed that one of the four suspension ropes was broken. The safety protection system functioned and stopped the lift. Five passengers were rescued by firemen and no casualty was reported. The concerned lift ceased operation immediately.
Otis Elevator Company (H.K.) Limited is the maintenance contractor and the original supplier of the lift concerned. The last maintenance examination work on the lift was done on December 20, 2008.
To ensure public safety, the lift maintenance contractor has conducted safety checks on all the other 17 Otis lifts at Heng On Estate and all of them were found to be safe. The maintenance contractor is required to submit an incident report to the EMSD within seven working days (before January 19).
The EMSD will announce the results of its investigation in a month's time.
Ends/Monday, January 12, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:24
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