To editors:

 

City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is extremely concerned about the incident that happened in the Sports Centre on 20 May and has taken immediate actions to ensure campus safety.

 

A three-member committee was set up initially to manage the follow-up investigations. Membership of that committee has now been expanded by President Way Kuo, who heard about the collapsed roof while on an overseas duty visit. It now includes a Council member, three vice-presidents, one external professional working in structural engineering, a staff representative and two student representatives.

 

President Kuo immediately returned to Hong Kong from overseas, and after inspecting the site of the incident in the early hours of 21 May together with campus security staff, he expanded the committee membership. The committee, which is being chaired by Professor Paul Lam Kwan-sing, Chief-of-Staff, can invite internal and external members to provide expert advice. An initial report will be submitted within two weeks.

 

We can now provide more details about what happened yesterday. The roof of part of the Sports Centre collapsed at around 2:30pm. About half an hour before, the Campus Development and Facilities Office (CDFO) had received reports that the fire alarms and sprinkler system in the Sports Centre had been activated. There were also reports of serious water leakage.

 

Two staff members, Mr Fung Ping-yan and Mr Philip Ling Chi-ming, arrived at the scene soon afterwards. They quickly called the Fire Services Department and urged everyone inside the Sports Centre to evacuate immediately. The two men were injured in the incident and sent to hospital for treatment. They have now been discharged and returned home to rest on doctors’ advice.

 

The Secretary for Education Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim and the Chairman of the CityU Council Mr Herman Hu Shao-ming visited the two staff members in hospital. Upon President Kuo’s return to Hong Kong, he also visited them. He has instructed the University to provide all possible assistance to those affected by the incident, and to take all the necessary action to ensure the safety of all facilities in the vicinity.

 

The University would like to reassure the CityU community and the public that CityU remains a safe place for work and study. It will conduct thorough inspections of all buildings on campus.

 

CityU strictly follows all laws and regulations when dealing with all types of work projects, and makes sure that qualified professionals approve and implement all such projects on campus.

 

The University will cooperate fully with all the relevant government departments and will keep everyone informed about the follow-up investigations.

 

Media enquiries:

CityU Communications & Public Relations Office Ms Karen Cheng (Tel: 3442 6805 or 9201 8895) or Ms Emily Law (Tel: 3442 681 or 9773 7664）