Swire Coca-Cola has vowed to investigate a carbon dioxide leak at its Hong Kong plant in which no injuries have been reported.
The company confirmed the leak on Sunday after video footage posted online showed white clouds billowing out onto the street at the Sha Tin facility the night before at around 9.45pm, although it was not immediately clear what the substance was.
A motorcyclist was seen driving through the smoke in the clip, while two security guards tried to direct traffic as pedestrians looked on.
Jason Ja, who posted the video to a Facebook group, wrote: “I’m not sure what happened, but the security guard told me it was fine to just pass through.
“I came by a second time after firefighters arrived, and they told me to turn around and would not let me through.”
A subsidiary of the Swire conglomerate, Swire Coca-Cola is the fifth-largest bottling partner of the Coca-Cola Company globally by volume.
The company produces, markets and distributes Coca-Cola products across China, Cambodia, Vietnam and parts of the western United States.
Swire Coca-Cola on Sunday told the Post a “minor” carbon dioxide leak had occurred at its plant in Sha Tin.
“We promptly contained it with the support of the authorities,” a spokeswoman said. “There were no employee or public injuries, and our operations remain stable.”
She added the company would conduct a thorough investigation and take all necessary measures to ensure a safe environment, and that it prioritised the health and safety of employees and the community.
Firefighters launched an investigation in May following a leak of toxic and highly flammable gas in suburban Yuen Long, in which nearby residents were asked to keep their doors and windows shut.
Three days later eleven pupils at New Asia Middle School in To Kwa Wan were taken to hospital after a suspected gas leak in their secondary school.
