13th October 2026 – (Hong Kong) A suspected voltage dip across the city early this afternoon prompted a surge of incidents between 1.00pm and 1.59pm, including more than one hundred reports of people trapped in lifts and a number of inadvertent fire alarm activations. In Tsing Yi, parts of a shopping centre experienced a partial outage and lifts halted abruptly, while in Tseung Kwan O a mall’s escalators stopped without warning. In Tsim Sha Tsui, two women were safely freed by firefighters after being stuck in a lift for about twenty minutes at 105 Austin Road.
The Fire Services Department later stated that areas of Kowloon and the New Territories were affected by the voltage fluctuation, confirming 178 lift entrapment reports and 39 fire alarm activations, with all rescue and follow‑up actions completed. Office workers in Tai Po described brief light flickers though building power otherwise remained stable, reflecting how some equipment responded to the transient change.
CLP Power said the event coincided with a momentary voltage dip at about 1.09pm on a 400‑kilovolt transmission circuit linking Lai Chi Kok and Tsz Wan Shan, adding that electricity supply was not interrupted. During such dips, customers may notice lights dimming or flickering, and voltage‑sensitive systems can trip as protective devices engage. Engineering teams are investigating the cause, and the utility has apologised for the inconvenience caused to affected customers.
