A sailor died in a Hong Kong industrial accident early on Wednesday after he was hit by a metal shackle that had broken loose while working on a cargo vessel docked at a Tsing Yi container terminal.
Police believe the 21-year-old man from Myanmar was securing a shipping container with a cable wire aboard the vessel berthed at the terminal off Tsing Yi Hong Wan Road. The wire was connected to the metal shackle, a type of fastening device used to help shift the containers.
“The wire was suspected to have snapped, and the shackle flew off and hit the man,” a police source said.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
Emergency services were sent in after police received a report from the man’s colleague soon after 2am.
The worker suffered serious head injuries and was taken to Yan Chai Hospital in Tsuen Wan, where he was later certified dead.
Police are treating the case as an industrial accident. The force said the worker had no suspicious injuries and an autopsy would be carried out to ascertain the cause of death.
The vessel entered Hong Kong waters from Shenzhen on Monday and was scheduled to leave the city for Panama on Wednesday.
For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
