Hong Kong labour chief says authorities open to revising work safety codes for confined spaces, after 2 killed in suspected gas leak

Hong Kong's labour chief, Chris Sun Yuk-han, announced on a Saturday that the government is considering revising safety codes for working in confined spaces. This statement was made in response to a tragic incident last month where two men lost their lives. They were trapped in an underground chamber filled with what is suspected to be toxic gas. The unfortunate event took place at a construction site managed by the MTR Corporation in the West Kowloon Cultural District. The victims were two workers named Lau Ho-cheong and Kwok For-kee, aged 63 and 61 respectively. They were trapped in an underground tube for over 12 hours. Fellow construction workers reported to the authorities that the pair had not exited the area since the previous day. Upon receiving the report, police and firefighters found the two men unconscious at the underground site. They were rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, but were later pronounced dead. The MTR Corporation revealed that the two men were repairing seawater cooling pipes connected to an air-conditioning system for the neighbouring Elements shopping centre, which was developed and is managed by the rail giant. Following the incident, a project manager for the construction site and a subcontractor were arrested and charged with manslaughter.