{
  "id": 6289407,
  "title": "Contractors will bear repair costs for lift defects at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong development chief says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/contractors-will-bear-repair-costs-for-lift-defects-at-queen-mary-6289407",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-08T14:33:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hong Kong Free Press",
    "slug": "hong-kong-free-press-hongkongfp",
    "url": "https://hongkongfp.com/2026/09/08/contractors-will-bear-repair-costs-for-lift-defects-at-queen-mary-hospital-hong-kong-development-chief-says/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hong Kong's Development Secretary Bernadette Linn has announced that government contractors will be responsible for covering the full repair costs of faulty lift work at the Queen Mary Hospital redevelopment project. The issue has caused tilted elevator shafts, leading to delays in the full reopening of Clinical Block 1 at the hospital. Linn noted that external walls of the building’s elevator shafts have structural \"errors,\" which may have left insufficient room for elevators to operate smoothly. She confirmed that some lift components were installed improperly, likening the new elevator shafts to Italy’s leaning Tower of Pisa. The Hong Kong Economic Times had reported on the structural defect last week, based on unnamed sources. Linn defended the government's piecemeal-style disclosure process, stating that full transparency could lead to future legal disputes. She promised that proper disclosures would be made in due course, and that the government will review whether the two departments can improve their inspection and acceptance procedures.",
  "summary": "Hong Kong’s development chief has said that government contractors will bear the full repair costs for faulty lift work in a redeveloped building at Queen Mary Hospital that resulted in tilted elevator shafts. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn also said on Tuesday that the government reserves the right to seek compensation from the contractors and […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hong Kong Free Press",
        "title": "Contractors will bear repair costs for lift defects at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong development chief says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/contractors-will-bear-repair-costs-for-lift-defects-at-queen-mary",
        "published": "2026-09-08T14:33:15.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s first post-colonial leader, dies at age 89",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/tung-chee-hwa-hong-kongs-first-post-colonial-leader-dies-at-age-89",
        "published": "2026-09-08T17:28:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde English",
        "title": "Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong's first post-colonial leader, dead at 89",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/tung-chee-hwa-hong-kongs-first-post-colonial-leader-dead-at-89",
        "published": "2026-09-08T20:39:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Hong Kong agencies warn of lingering Jakarta flight delays after volcano eruption",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/hong-kong-agencies-warn-of-lingering-jakarta-flight-delays-after",
        "published": "2026-09-09T00:30:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}