Two die in separate work accidents

Two men died in separate industrial accidents in Central and Tung Chung on Friday, sparking fresh calls to protect workers' safety. In one of the cases, an 18-year-old apprentice fell into an escalator shaft during repairs at the Euro Trade Centre on Des Voeux Road Central. He was rescued by firefighters and rushed to Ruttonjee Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Another fatal work accident occurred at a public housing construction site in Tung Chung, where a 57-year-old painter was believed to be trapped on a spider lift platform. He was declared dead at North Lantau Hospital. The Labour Department said it's investigating both tragedies. A workers' rights representative said the occurrence of more industrial accidents serves as a warning. Siu Sin-man from the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims said both government and industry need to do more to prevent future incidents. "We are heartbroken to hear that workers have passed away. It has only been a little over a week since three workers died from work accidents in five days. This is a huge wake-up call," she said. "People from the industry and government departments need to help think of ways to solve this problem. "If it is an equipment problem, please improve it immediately. If it involves insufficient training, please strengthen mandatory training as soon as possible."