Published: 15:00, July 10, 2023 | Updated: 15:41, July 10, 2023
Ground subsidence closes Man Kam To port
By Mike Gu, Shadow Li in Hong Kong

Immigration Department personnel and simulated travelers take part in a drill at Man Kam To Control Point, Jan 5, 2022. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

Man Kam To port was closed on Sunday evening after extensive ground subsidence disrupted the carriageway leading to its guard kiosks.

The roof of the guard kiosks was twisted due to the ground subsidence, and cracks were plainly visible from the outside. The scene was closed off for repairs and cranes were brought in to assist. 

According to the Office of Port of Exit and Entry of Shenzhen, repairs are underway and service will be resumed after the repairs are completed

The checkpoint, connecting Shenzhen and Hong Kong, is one of the major land ports for cross-boundary students. In the wake of the incident, cross-boundary coaches and school buses had to divert to the nearby Hueng Yuen Wai checkpoint. 

The Office of Port of Exit and Entry of Shenzhen announced on Sunday night that, customs clearance services at Man Kam To Port had been suspended due to safety risks caused by the ground subsidence. 

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According to the office, repairs are underway and service will be resumed after the repairs are completed.

Freeman Cheung Kim-ping, vice-chairman and secretary general of Hong Kong Guangdong Boundary Crossing Bus Association, said that buses from Sheung Shui Plaza to Man Kam To will be diverted to cross the border via Heung Yuen Wai.  

Cheung added that the travel time was about 20 minutes longer than usual, with the frequency changed from about 20 to 30 minutes to about 45 minutes.     

Chu Wai-lam, headmaster of the Fung Kai No1 Primary School in Sheung Shui, told a local radio that starting from Tuesday, the school will send its school buses to pick up cross-boundary students at Heung Yuen Wai Control Point in view of the situation at Man Kam To checkpoint.

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About 40 to 50 students will be affected by the arrangement and another 20 to 30 senior pupils, who normally take cross-boundary buses on their own to travel between Sheung Shui and Man Kam To checkpoint, are expected to take the MTR via Lo Wu checkpoint, Chu said.

Chu said he believed the repairs can be completed before the new semester in September and the students can then use Man Kam To checkpoint to commute. If not, the school will consider sending teachers to help students at Heung Yuen Wai Control Point, and will exercise discretion for those coming late due to the change of route.

Contact the writer at mikegu@chinadailyhk.com