Voltage dips across Kowloon and New Territories trap 179 in lifts, four women unwell
Voltage dips in parts of Kowloon and the New Territories on Tuesday afternoon triggered 179 lift entrapments and 40 fire alarm activations, the Fire Services Department said. Four women aged 68 to 71 felt unwell, three were taken to hospital. CLP Power said a 400,000-volt line briefly dipped but sup
Voltage dips across parts of Kowloon and the New Territories on Tuesday afternoon caused 179 reports of people trapped in lifts and 40 fire alarm activations, the Fire Services Department said. All incidents had been handled by 3pm.
Four people, all women aged between 68 and 71, felt unwell including shortness of breath after being trapped in lifts, the department said. Three of them were conscious and taken to hospital.
The department said it received 55 lift entrapment reports and 22 fire alarm activations, mainly from the Yau Tsim Mong district, within about 10 minutes from 1.10pm. Resources were immediately deployed across the affected areas for rescue operations.
At about 2pm, the department activated a callback mechanism at its support centre, contacting people in ongoing cases every 15 to 20 minutes. It also activated the director's command room around the same time to mobilise additional resources as more requests for help came in.
CLP Power said a 400,000-volt power line connecting Lai Chi Kok to Tsz Wan Shan recorded a brief voltage dip at about 1.09pm, without any interruption to electricity supply. During the dip, some customers may have experienced dimming or flickering lights, and sensitive electrical equipment could have tripped due to protective devices activating. The company said it is following up on the incident.