'Ghost' fear over freak accident

A fire extinguisher sprung a leak and shot 12 storeys into the air in Hong Kong, taking off a construction worker's arm.

The freak accident at a building site prompted construction workers to pray to appease angry spirits.

The accident occurred in a building many believe is haunted after a fire eight years ago killed 40 people and injured 81.

Workers were demolishing the Garley Building to make way for a shopping mall when the sudden leak in the fire extinguisher propelled it into the air on Monday.

The 36-year-old man who lost his arm, identified only by the surname So, remains in a serious condition in hospital today, government officials said.

TV footage showed workers in safety helmets praying in front of a small altar full of incense and food amid the rubble at the demolition site.

Ghost-appeasing rituals, once common in traditional Chinese society, are rare in modern Hong Kong