179 reports of people trapped in lifts after power dip in Hong Kong

Four elderly women were injured among nearly 180 reports of people being trapped in lifts after a brief voltage dip in CLP Power’s network tripped building safety mechanisms in various districts across Hong Kong on Tuesday.

The Fire Services Department said that from 1.10pm to 3pm, it received 179 reports of persons trapped in lifts and 40 fire alarms going off in parts of Kowloon and the New Territories.

Residential and commercial buildings, hospitals, shopping centres, MTR stations and school campuses were affected.

Four women aged between 68 and 71 were injured in separate lift incidents, acting deputy chief fire officer Yung Wai-ming said at a press briefing.

Three of them were sent to hospital, as they experienced discomfort and shortness of breath. One experienced symptoms of high blood pressure.

“We sent some vehicles from other districts to help with the cases, which is why the handling time took longer. For those affected by fire alarms, the longest [wait] was 49 minutes,” Yung said. “For people trapped in lifts, the longest rescue time was one hour and 20 minutes.”

The incidents took place in various districts, including Sha Tin, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hung Hom, Yau Tong, Po Lam, Kwun Tong, Kwai Chung, Mong Kok, Cheung Sha Wan, Tai Po and Tsuen Wan.

In a reply to the South China Morning Post, CLP Power – which supplies electricity to Kowloon, the New Territories and most outlying islands – said the voltage drop occurred on a 400,000-volt power line connecting Lai Chi Kok to Tsz Wan Shan in Kowloon, adding that there was “no interruption to power supply”.

“During the voltage dip, some customers may have experienced dimming or flickering of lights; certain electrical appliances that are sensitive to voltage fluctuations may have ceased operation due to the activation of protective devices,” a CLP spokesman said, adding that an investigation was under way.