6 injured in explosion at Hong Kong recycling yard

Six people have been injured, some with serious burns, in an explosion at a recycling yard in northern Hong Kong, with more than 100 people on a school trip nearby evacuated.A police spokesman said that as of 1pm on Thursday, three people with injuries had been sent to Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin and another three to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Tai Po.Those sent to the Tai Po hospital included a 44-year-old woman, believed to be the operator of the yard, who suffered burns across her entire body.Another 46-year-old woman who worked at the yard suffered burns on her arms. A 62-year-old customer had burns on his head and limbs. They were also taken to the same hospital.Three men sent to Prince of Wales Hospital included a 64-year-old suffering from third-degree burns and a 59-year-old with second-degree burns. The condition of the third man was not immediately known.More than 100 people on a school trip near the site had been evacuated, the spokesman added.Thick black smoke rises high into the sky above the Tai Po site. Photo: Handout