Hong Kong building in falling concrete case failed to comply with 2020 notice
Man, 79, was hit by concrete that fell off building on Percival Street in Causeway Bay on Friday
In a social media post on Saturday evening, the Development Bureau also vowed to enforce the law against owners who neglected to maintain their buildings, with the relevant legislation already under review to include a new offence that could result in a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a HK$300,000 (US$38,560) fine.
“The Buildings Department issued a mandatory building inspection and window inspection notice to this building in 2020, but it has not been complied with yet,” the bureau said. “Timely maintenance and repair of private buildings is a basic responsibility of the property owners.”
Police said on Saturday that officers were alerted at 6.13pm the previous evening that a 79-year-old man was hit by pieces of concrete that had fallen off the building at No 76 Percival Street in the bustling Causeway Bay shopping district.
He was sent to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai for treatment.
Police’s initial investigation indicated that a piece of concrete measuring about 2.1 metres by 0.2 metres (6.9 feet by 0.7 feet) was suspected to have broken off one of the building’s beams.
The site was temporarily sealed off for inspection.
