Councillors Slam Govt Over Barge Fire Reporting Delay

"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("

Related News Programmes

"); });

2021-06-06 HKT 17:47

Share this story

facebook

  • The pro-democracy district councillors want the government to better communicate with the public during emergencies. Photo: RTHK

    The pro-democracy district councillors want the government to better communicate with the public during emergencies. Photo: RTHK

A group of pro-democracy district councillors on Sunday criticised government departments for lacking coordination when heavy smoke caused by a burning barge engulfed West Kowloon last week.

The fire broke out on the vessel near Stonecutters Island on Wednesday evening and was finally put out about 15 hours later.

Residents in several districts along the coastline reported feeling unwell, and the smoke also triggered fire alarms at a number of buildings.

However, it was not until several hours after the fire started that the Fire Services Department warned residents about the smoke, and advised them to close their doors and windows.

Kwai Tsing district councillor Cheung Man-lung said the Environmental Protection Department could have taken a more proactive role in informing the public about the worsening air quality, rather than just updating the data on its website.

Owan Li from the Yau Tsim Mong district council, meanwhile, said the Home Affairs Department could’ve done a lot more to keep people informed

"We find that the government's response was very slow and was not immediate to alert the general public that they should be careful and aware that of any potential health problem," he said.

"We think it's important that the government improves the mechanism of announcing disaster(s). The Home Affairs Department should take a more important role, for example, by keeping a clear communication channel through press releases."

They said they will follow up on the matter at upcoming district council meetings.

RECENT NEWS

StartmeupHK Festival And Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025 Merge For 10th Anniversary Milestone

Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced on 10 March 2025 that both of its flagship events, Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025 an... Read more

Ant AI-Powered Health Insurance Processes 7.25M Claims In 2024, 55%YoY Increase

In 2024, Ant Insurance, the online insurance brokerage platform of Ant Group, processed 7.25 million health claims, mar... Read more

Ping An Talent Uses AI For Job Matching, But Can Technology Make Recruitment Fairer?

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. has launched its 2025 Spring Campus Recruitment, offering over 2,000 p... Read more

HKEX Partners With CMU OmniClear To Boost Post-Trade Securities Infrastructure

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) announced on 4 March 2025 that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding ... Read more

PAObank Secures Insurance Agency Licence, Partners With Ping An And FWD Hong Kong

PAO Bank Limited (PAObank) has received its Insurance Agency Licence from the Insurance Authority and signed strategic ... Read more

IFAST Launches Self-Service Accounts For Hong Kong Family Offices

Fintech solutions provider iFAST HK launches self-service accounts in Hong Kong, catering to the growing demand for ind... Read more