2 Hongkongers injured when electric water heater explodes in top floor flat
- A 17-year-old turned on heater in bathroom and then went to living room to wait for it to warm up when it exploded
- Passer-by, 62, hit by concrete knocked off building by explosion
Hong Kong authorities have launched an investigation after an electric water heater exploded in a Sha Tin flat on Tuesday, injuring two people.
The incident occurred at 10.39am, soon after a 17-year-old girl turned on the heater in the bathroom of a top-floor flat of the six-storey Fu Cheong House on Tai Wai Road in Sha Tin.
According to police, the girl was waiting in the living room for the water to heat up when the blast happened.
“The heater exploded, causing domestic items to fly and hit the girl,” a source familiar with the case said.
He added that the force of the explosion also caused loose concrete items to break free from the building’s facade and fall, hitting a 62-year-old man. The pedestrian sustained head injuries.
The force of the explosion broke several windows in the flat, and glass fragments fell onto the pavement below. Police cordoned off the area.
A police spokeswoman said the injured girl and the pedestrian were taken to Prince of Wales Hospital for treatment. She said an evacuation was not needed.
