25th September 2023 – (Hong Kong) In a shocking industrial accident uncovered yesterday morning (24th), two male workers in their sixties lost their lives in an underground project on West Kowloon Road. Among the deceased is Lau Ho-cheung (63 years old), who leaves behind his wife and four children. In the evening, the devastated family gathered outside their home for a solemn ritual, with tears flowing freely. They expressed their disbelief upon receiving the devastating news from the police, stating, “It was an industrial accident, but someone must be held responsible!” The family’s planned trip in November has now been shattered, and their recently graduated daughter collapsed to the ground, crying out, “My graduation ceremony is in December. Dad wanted to witness it, but now he can’t..”
Lau Ho-cheung had worked as a plumber for over 30 years and resided in Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long, with his wife, eldest son, and two daughters. Their daughter had just graduated from university. The couple had hoped to see their children succeed and enjoy their retirement, but their lives were unexpectedly turned upside down. In the evening, the family, along with other relatives and friends, gathered outside their home for a mourning ritual, overwhelmed with grief.
The wife tearfully lamented, “We’ve lost him. We didn’t even have a chance to say a word to him.” She mentioned that her husband had worked tirelessly to support the family, even sacrificing his days off to spend time with them. “The pressure was immense. Who said university education comes for free? Sometimes he even had to work on Sundays!” The family had planned to travel to Japan or Thailand in November to celebrate the wife’s birthday, but now their dreams have been shattered. The wife expressed, “It’s been almost twenty years since I last boarded a plane!” Their daughter collapsed to the ground, crying uncontrollably, saying, “My graduation ceremony is in December. Dad wanted to see it so badly, but now he can’t. Sob…”
When the eldest son identified his father’s body at the hospital this morning, he questioned, “Why were there two people working without anyone knowing?” The youngest daughter urged the authorities and the company involved to clarify the truth behind the incident. She said, “We want to know why this happened. Why were the two workers in a sealed space, and where was the supervisor? Why was the door locked in the end? Neither the company’s staff nor the management contacted us! We only found out at the hospital. We need an explanation.”
The youngest daughter continued, revealing that the project began on 19th September. Even when her father worked overtime until the early hours of the morning, he would always inform the family. However, this time they only learned of the accident when the police arrived. They were told by the company that they didn’t have the emergency contact number, saying, “He worked there for over 20 years, but the company didn’t have our contact number! It was an industrial accident, but someone must be held responsible!”