Power, AC outages hit estate, office building and funeral home amid heatwave
Power supply and air-conditioning disruptions across parts of Hong Kong have left residents sweltering in the extreme heat, with outages occurring at a housing estate, an office building and even a funeral home. In Yuen Long, about 2,400 households in Shui Pin Wai Estate and the surrounding area were left without power after an underground cable developed a fault at around 4am on Tuesday. Writing…
A heatwave in Hong Kong has led to power and air-conditioning outages affecting residents, office workers, and a funeral home. The Hong Kong Observatory reported temperatures reaching 36.9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the highest since records began in 1884. The Global Funeral Parlour in Hung Hom experienced a power outage, forcing mourners to avoid incense and paper offerings due to the ventilation system being down.
Employees had to manually carry bodies up the stairs. The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, which operates the funeral parlour, reported that repairs would take time due to the need for specialized replacement parts. Over in Yuen Long, about 2,400 households had their power cut for several hours after an underground cable fault occurred.
Residents expressed frustration over the lack of electricity, with some stating they felt as though they were dying without air conditioning in the extreme heat. CLP Power, the energy supplier, apologized to affected residents and assured that electricity supply would be restored. Electrical engineers noted that energy demands increase during extreme heat, potentially causing cables to reach maximum ratings and trip circuit breakers.
Older districts, with their aged infrastructure, are more susceptible to these issues. Utility companies have agreed to provide mutual emergency support, and HK Electric, which serves Hong Kong and Lamma islands, reported that their operations remained unaffected by the hot weather.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
