Five people were killed Sunday in an accident involving plunging of a working platform at the construction site of the International Commerce Center (ICC) at Kowloon.

Police officers and reporters stay near the site of an accident at the International Commerce Center (ICC) under construction in Kowloon of Hong Kong, south China, Sept. 13, 2009. [Xinhua]

The accident happened on Sunday afternoon when six cleaners were on the working platform which suddenly fell from the 27th floor to the 10th floor. Five died and one was seriously injured, according to local TV reports.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang went to the scene for inspection and expressed his condolence to family members of the dead workers. He described it as a very serious accident and has asked the authorities to probe into the accident.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Donald Tsang (Front) inspects the site of an accident at the International Commerce Center (ICC) under construction in Kowloon of Hong Kong, south China, Sept. 13, 2009. Five people were killed and another injured on Sunday in the accident involving the fall of a working platform at the construction site of the ICC in Kowloon, a local TV station reported. [Xinhua]

Hong Kong's leading developer Sun Hung Kai Properties which backed the ICC construction said all work at the site were suspended at once and promised to distribute 1 million HK dollars (about 129,199 US dollars) to each of the dead worker's household.

The ICC, at 118 stories and 490 meters, is still under construction and scheduled to be completed next year. It will become the tallest building in the city by then.

(Xinhua News Agency September 14, 2009)