Hong Kong - Six workers died inside Hong Kong's tallest skyscraper Sunday after a platform in an elevator shaft plunged 17 floors. The workers were on a platform in the elevator shaft of the 118-floor International Commerce Centre (ICC) when it suddenly gave way, sending them hurtling from the 27th to the 10th floor.
The bodies of three of the workers were recovered by firemen soon after the accident at around 1:20 pm (0520 GMT). Two bodies were found hours later and the sixth was found in debris at the foot of the lift shaft late Sunday.
The 484-metre high building, commonly known as the ICC Tower, is under construction in West Kowloon and will be Hong Kong's tallest building when it is completed in 2010.
Hong Kong's chief executive Donald Tsang visited the scene of the accident Sunday afternoon with senior government officials and promised a full investigation.
Labour secretary Matthew Cheung said the developer Sun Hung Kai, Hong Kong's biggest property company, had already agreed to pay the families of the dead and injured workers 1 million Hong Kong dollars (129,000 US dollars) on top of normal compensation payments.
The property company would also cover funeral expenses and the education costs of dead workers' children. "This is a very serious accident and we are very sorry about this," said Cheung.
The ICC Tower will not only be Hong Kong's tallest building but will also have the third-highest roof in the world after Burj Dubai and the Shanghai World Financial Centre.
