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Safety clampdown in HK after video screen fall
Mid-air concert installations have been banned while the authorities investigate last week's incident during a show by boy band Mirror
By James Hanley on 04 Aug 2022
Video of the incident has been widely shared online
Mid-air installations at concerts are to be banned temporarily in Hong Kong as officials investigate the horror accident that injured two dancers at a show by Cantopop group Mirror.
Mo Lee Kai-yin, 27, was critically injured when a giant video screen fell on him during the concert at Hong Kong Coliseum last week. A second dancer was also hospitalised but has since been discharged.
While the investigation remains ongoing, leisure and cultural services department taskforce has announced three interim rules for event organisers to comply with, reports the South China Morning Post.
The measures include a review of stage design and mechanical installations, while all mid-air mechanical devices “designed to swing, rotate or carry people” will be banned. Promoters must also appoint an authorised expert to review the safety of the installations daily.
A source tells the Post the taskforce’s aim is to review stage safety in Hong Kong and determine whether existing regulations need to be strengthened.
“We will look into whether the wire hit other cables or equipment when the TV screen it supported was rotating and moving up and down during the show”
Mirror’s performance was the fourth in a scheduled 12-concert run by the 12-member band, who formed in 2018. The remaining shows in the series have been cancelled, with refunds to be given to ticket-holders.
Mirror’s management MakerVille and show organiser Music Nation say they are working with authorities and the contractor and subcontractors behind the stage structures to establish what went wrong.
Hong Kong’s culture secretary Kevin Yeung said initial observations suggest the metal wire used to support the video screen had fractured, causing it to fall.
According to the Post, the subsequent investigation will focus on analysing the metal wire.
“We will… look into whether the wire hit other cables or equipment when the TV screen it supported was rotating and moving up and down during the show,” says an insider. “We also have to find out whether the wire has experienced metal fatigue.”
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