Date: November 22, 2018
Location: Hong Kong, China
Address: Baptist University Road, Kowloon Tong
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Flour Dust
Industry: Higher Education
Equipment: N/A
Company: Hong Kong Baptist University
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: 12 Injured
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to its website, Hong Kong Baptist University is a liberal arts university in Hong Kong, China. It was founded in 1956 by the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong as a post-secondary college. It gained university status in 1994. Today it consists of eight schools offering a range of undergraduate programmes, associate degree and higher diploma programmes as well as taught postgraduate programmes and research postgraduate programmes leading to the award of master and doctoral degrees.
Incident Description:
On November 22, 2018, the South China Morning Post reported a dust explosion during a birthday party celebration in Hong Kong, China.
Twelve Hong Kong University students suffered burns to the face, neck, hands or feet during a birthday celebration in the student halls of Baptist University’s Kowloon Tong campus shortly before 1:00 a.m.
The Bangkok Post reported when firefighters arrived, there was no sign of fire and no structural damage to the building. Only the students had been affected. A police source believed students were throwing flour at each other, and the dust was ignited by a burning candle on a birthday cake.
Four students remained in the hospital after arrival while eight others were treated and discharged. ChinaNews reported that ten students had first degree burns, while the other two had second degree burns.
