N環球 
Hong Kong voltage dip traps 179 people in lifts across Kowloon and New Territories
A brief voltage dip on a CLP 400kV line between Lai Chi Kok and Tsz Wan Shan on Oct. 13 triggered lift protection systems across Hong Kong: 105 entrapment reports in 20 minutes, 179 lift cases and about 40 fire-alarm activations by 3 p.m., with four people injured.
Why it matters
A rare cross-district mass entrapment: calls flooded in within 20 minutes, forcing the Fire Services Department to activate its command centre. The incident again exposed the gap with older lifts, which lack automatic reset devices after voltage dips — only required on new lifts since 2009.
Full report
At about 1:09 p.m. on October 13, a CLP 400kV transmission line between Lai Chi Kok and Tsz Wan Shan recorded a brief voltage dip. There was no blackout, but the momentary drop below 90% of standard voltage triggered protection mechanisms in voltage-sensitive equipment, halting large numbers of lifts.
The Fire Services Department said it received 105 trapped-in-lift reports within 20 minutes from 1:10 p.m., covering Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan, Sheung Shui, Tsim Sha Tsui and other districts; some hospital and shopping-mall lifts also stopped. By 3 p.m., 179 entrapments and about 40 false fire alarms had been handled, and all rescues were complete.
Four people were injured, including three women aged 68 to 71 who felt unwell or short of breath, one with high blood pressure; all were conscious when taken to hospital. Two women were trapped in a Jordan building lift for about 20 minutes before firefighters freed them.
CLP said its engineering team is investigating the cause and apologized for the inconvenience. The fire services reminded the public to stay calm if trapped and never force lift doors open.
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