Xinhua’s Hong Kong office ‘like a war zone’ after petrol bomb attack, worker says
- Man says he and his colleagues knew the building was under attack as they could see it on television, but did not think it was serious
- Some people had to be evacuated but swift action of firefighters ensured no one was hurt, he says
“The ground floor glass panels were all shattered, there was lots of red paint spilled everywhere in the lobby and there was a smell of burning,” said the man, who asked not to be named as he is not authorised to speak about the incident.
“It was about 5pm, dozens of us were busy editing and filing stories when the fire alarm rang,” he said. “We were concerned because we could see from the live TV reports that our building was under attack. But we didn’t stop working immediately, thinking it was not going to be serious.”
The man said his opinion changed as he and his colleagues were exiting the building and saw the state of the lobby.
“Seeing it on TV and seeing it with your own eyes are totally different things,” he said. “This is madness right in front of you. The strong burning smell mixed with the paint smell in the air made some of us giddy.”
The man declined to say how many people were in the building on Queen’s Road East in Wan Chai when it came under attack but said some of his colleagues had relatives in the office.
Some people were evacuated as a precaution but the firefighters soon had the situation under control, he said.
