Tuen Mun odour investigations found nothing: govt

Firefighters say they received numerous emergency calls about an irritating odour in Tuen Mun on Monday afternoon, but found nothing at the scene. Image: Shutterstock

The government said on Friday that firefighters and environmental officials had failed to find any unusual odour in the Tuen Mun area last Monday, despite multiple emergency calls and reports from residents.



Several people were taken to hospital after feeling unwell, with complaints of breathing difficulties and skin rashes.



Fears that residents had inhaled tear gas led to nighttime protests in Tuen Mun on Monday and Wednesday, despite police denying they had been testing the weapon at the area's Tai Hing Operational Base.



The Fire Services Department said it received 18 emergency calls about a pungent odour in the New Territories town between 3.33pm and 4.25pm on Monday, and it dispatched personnel to investigate.



It said officers had entered the police base for checks, but nothing unusual was found there, or in the nearby roads.



The Environmental Protection Department also received 10 complaints about a smell in Tuen Mun between 3.50pm and 4.59pm. But when staff arrived in the area at 5.35pm, they couldn't trace any smell, a statement said.



The government added that the police had also received "multiple reports" of an irritating odour from 3.34pm on Monday, but "initial investigations could not confirm the odour's cause and origin".



The statement played down the likelihood that wind changes bringing higher levels of ozone could have caused the problem, because ozone levels that day were not particularly high.



It said the relevant departments would conduct follow-up investigations if any new information comes to light or the odour returns.