Angry 'ghost' rips worker's arm off
June 30 2004 at 07:39AM
Hong Kong - A fire extinguisher sprung a leak and shot 12 storeys into the air, taking off a construction worker's arm in a freak accident that prompted his co-workers' prayers to appease angry spirits, local media reported on Wednesday.
The accident occurred in a building many believe is haunted after a fire eight years ago killed 40 people and injured 81.
Workers were demolishing the Garley Building to make way for a shopping mall when the sudden leak in the fire extinguisher propelled it into the air on Monday.
The 36-year-old man who lost his arm, identified only by the surname So, remained in hospital in a serious condition on Wednesday, government officials said.
Newspapers and television footage showed workers in safety helmets praying on Tuesday in front of a small altar full of incense and food amid the rubble at the demolition site.
Ghost-appeasing rituals, once common in traditional Chinese society, are rare in modern Hong Kong