Fire_Services_1964-1965 — Page 37

SHA TIN BY-PASS CRASH INCIDENT

132. On Sunday, 13th September 1964, at 10 a.m., a lorry loaded with 30-200 kgs. of bales of cloth ran away on the by-pass at Tai Po Road and crashed to the roadway below trapping 2 members of the public and injuring 4 more.

133. Fire Service rescue teams extricated the two trapped victims, one of whom was certified dead on site.

HOUSE COLLAPSE

134. There are numerous reasons why in Hong Kong it has become virtually impossible for members of the Fire Service to be confronted with a situation which provides a really serious challenge to their ingenuity and resourcefulness. An incident at Po Yan Street at midday on the 1st October 1964 came very close however to establishing the exception.

135. On arrival at this incident the first-attending officer found that the kitchens on each floor of a 4-storey tenement block had collapsed into a light well at the rear of the premises trapping an unknown number of occupants.

136. By tunnelling under debris the body of one woman (who was alive) was located, trapped over a 40 gallon drum by a wood beam. This beam in turn had become the main support for tons of debris from upper floors. The removal of debris handful by handful enabled Fire Service personnel to transfer some of the load from the beam on to themselves whilst a Medical Officer gave the victim morphine. Con- tinuing removal of debris revealed the faint cries of a second person whose exact position could not however be determined.

137. By this time the incident (which had been upgraded to a major S.S. call commanded by the Director) had reached a point where any further removal of 'key debris' would have involved further collapse, loss of life to Fire Service personnel and assured the death of the trapped occupants. The rank and file were evacuated whilst senior officers examined the collapse to determine the next move. With only split second warning a further collapse took place completely entombing the victim and causing superficial injuries to Fire Service personnel as the latter scrambled to safety.

138. Notwithstanding that minor movements of debris continued, repeated and vigorous attempts to force a channel through to the

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