Report on ‘falling stone’ at St. Paul’s points to lightning hit

The final report on the stone that fell from the façade of the Ruins of St. Paul’s earlier this month attributes the incident to a lightning strike from a thunderstorm, the president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), Deland Leong, said during a press briefing yesterday after the meeting of the Cultural Heritage Council.

Leong said that this was one of the topics on the meeting’s agenda presented to council members in a full report, which included considerations as to how to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

For the time being, the president of IC claims that the area is safe for visitors and that IC is monitoring the situation.

She also said that works related to the repair and maintenance of the area affected will follow soon, though she was not sure if these would affect visitors’ access to the monument.

“The structure is solid and safe but we need to develop a system of repairs and maintenance. One of the things we are considering is the installation of a lightning rod to prevent the building from being hit by bolts again,” she said. According to IC records, this was the first time that such an incident had taken place.

Also questioned on what kind of lightning rod would be used and if this would change the aesthetic of the monument, Leong advised that this will be discussed with field specialists. For the time being, there are no details she can offer.

“Regarding the repair works, we don’t know yet if it will be necessary to close the venue to the public. We will certainly put safety first,” she concluded.