Illegal worker plummets to death from construction site

A fatal industrial accident which occurred on a construction site at City of Dreams on Sunday afternoon has been reported by the Public Security Police Force (PSP).

The victim is a mainland female resident in her 30s, who according to the authorities was illegally working in the MSAR.

The worker fell from a height of between six and seven meters from the construction site of the Morpheus Hotel. She was later found unconscious by her husband, who was working at the same site. She was confirmed dead on Sunday afternoon.

Lawrence Ho, the CEO of Melco International, which operates the City of Dreams complex told the media yesterday that he will follow up with the construction company that hired the worker.

“We are working very closely with the contractor to fully understand the situation,” he told public broadcaster TDM, “[…] and of course we are working very closely with the relevant authorities to do a thorough investigation.”

According to documents read by the Times, the construction company that hired the deceased worker is a subsidiary of MECOM Power and Construction Ltd, a publicly listed company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, which had its initial public offering last month.

Lawrence Ho is a major shareholder in the company through his wholly-owned company, King Dragon.

Among MECOM’s co-owners is Tam Chi Wai with an 8 percent stake. Tam is regarded as an ‘independent third party’ even though he was Melco’s chief financial officer until November last year.

Construction work on the Morpheus Hotel has been temporarily suspended by the Labour Affairs Bureau, according to TDM. It was similarly suspending after a previous accident at the site last year.