A sinkhole formed on a road surface, which is currently closed to traffic for a utility tunnel project, in the Zone A land reclamation area yesterday morning when the red rainstorm signal was in force, resulting in road subsidence caused by soil erosion when excavation work next to it was being carried out, the Public Works Bureau (DSOP) said in a statement yesterday afternoon.
No one was injured in the incident, neither was any construction machinery was damaged, the statement said.
The red rainstorm signal was in force between 9:40 a.m. and 11 a.m. yesterday.
According to the statement, the road subsidence occurred at a location where Rotunda de Hou Kong meets Avenida Doutor Ma Man Kei, which is currently closed to traffic for an underground utility tunnel project.
After a preliminary investigation, the statement said, DSOP technicians concluded that the sinkhole formed due to soil erosion caused by the heavy rain at that time when excavation work was being carried out there.
According to the DSOP statement, the bureau has ordered the project’s contractor to always pay close attention to the latest weather conditions when carrying out a project.
According to a statement by the Fire Services Bureau (CB) yesterday, the sinkhole covered an area of six metres by six metres, three metres deep.
Old tree falls in Tin Hau Temple
Meanwhile, an old tree fell in the Tin Hau Temple complex on Rua dos Pescadores at around 7 a.m. yesterday, a separate CB statement said.
No one was injured in the incident.
Yesterday’s case came after an old tree fell in the complex in June last year.
The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) and the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) said in a joint follow-up statement yesterday that the fallen tree did not damage the temple but a shrine outside it.
The statement confirmed that the fallen tree is an officially protected old tree listed in November 2020.
The statement underlined that before yesterday’s incident, the banyan tree was already weak after being in a poor condition for a number of years.
After a preliminary investigation, the statement said, IAM and IC officials concluded that the weakened tree fell yesterday due to a raft of torrential rains earlier this year.
The damaged shrine will be restored in due course, the statement said.
This handout photo released by the Public Works Bureau (DSOP) yesterday shows the sinkhole at a location where Rotunda de Hou Kong meets Avenida Doutor Ma Man Kei in Zone A.
This handout photo released by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) and Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) yesterday shows the fallen banyan tree in the Tin Hau Temple complex on Rua dos Pescadores.
