Call for safety measures after member of popular Hong Kong boy band Mirror falls off stage
- Frankie Chan steps off edge of platform while giving speech, prompting horrified gasps from fans at packed Hong Kong Coliseum
- Incident concerning safety is latest in only second day of group’s 12-concert series
A fall by a member of Hong Kong boy band Mirror on the second day of the popular group’s 12-concert series has sparked concerns among fans over stage safety.
Frankie Chan Sui-fai was giving a speech on Tuesday night when he accidentally stepped off the edge of the stage, falling about a metre in front of a horrified audience at the fully packed Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom.
Chan managed to get on his feet immediately below the stage, assuring fans and saying: “I’m sorry, I fell.”
The incident did not disrupt the event, and Chan resumed his speech. Soon after the drama, he posted a picture on social media showing his bruised left arm, with the message: “Sorry for making everyone worry. I was too focused on my words. Only some bruises. I’m a lucky man.”
Safety issues have plagued the Mirror concert even before Tuesday’s mishap, with fans noticing member Anson Kong Ip-sang appearing to lose balance briefly on a rising platform in an earlier performance. Kong and band members Jeremy Lau Ying-ting and Keung To also seemingly missed some dance steps on a fenceless bridge-like structure hanging in mid-air on the first day of the show on Monday.
An online petition launched late on Tuesday night urging safety for the Mirror group garnered more than 10,000 signatures in 11 hours.
Internet users also questioned the lack of safety features for the band, with some noting the narrow bridge structure was not even safe to walk on, let alone perform. One comment on social media read: “The stage is of international level and spectacular. But there are too many variations. They have to see how to make it safer.”
Another user said: “What is the management doing? The concert tickets are so hard to buy, but the crew made mistakes three times and there were dancers who got injured.” The comment referred to media reports that a performer was hurt after a fall from a platform.
‘It’s all worth it’: fans of Hong Kong boy band Mirror out in droves for concert
But structural engineer Ngai Hok-yan said the stage looked robust and safe, adding he believed the accident was more of a personal issue.
He said building regulations required stages with a height of six metres or more to be installed with safety fences, but this was not strictly enforced for structures at performing venues as safety features could block the view of audiences.
Ngai said structural engineers would have been recruited by organisers to review the set-up, alongside the venue manager, which is the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in this case. The department will then issue a licence to the organiser after an endorsement from the Buildings Department.
