Five arrests have been made in connection with the horror incident that saw a giant video screen fall on two dancers during a concert by Cantopop boy band Mirror.

Mo Lee Kai-yin was critically injured in the incident at Hong Kong Coliseum on 28 July, while Chang Tsz-fung also required hospital treatment, with the release of an official report into the causes by the authorities thought to be imminent.

However, the South China Morning Post now reports that five suspects aged between 40 and 63 were arrested in a series of dawn raids after police officers found some equipment was up to seven times the weight declared.

According to police, eight sets of speakers on the stage weighed about seven times more than principal contractor Engineering Impact Limited’s reported weight of 1,600lbs, while six LED screens weighed a total of 9,852lbs – 63% more than was reported.

“THERE WERE LOTS OF FACTORS THAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT, AND THE NUMEROUS UNDERREPORTED WEIGHTS COULD JUST BE ONE OF THE CAUSES”

“There were lots of factors that caused the accident, and the numerous underreported weights could just be one of the causes,” says Supt Alan Chung of the Kowloon West regional crime unit.

Chung has accused Engineering Impact of deliberately underreporting the weight of the stage equipment in an attempt to speed up the government approval process. He adds that the investigation also indicated that Engineering Impact and subcontractor Hip Hing Loong did not take measures to ensure the mechanical devices and cables met safety requirements.

Those arrested included staff members from both contractors, reveals a Post source.

The performance was part of a planned 12-concert run by the 12-member boy band, who formed in 2018. The remaining shows in the series were cancelled.

Mirror’s management MakerVille and show organiser Music Nation hired an independent third-party expert to look into the incident and have pledged to release further details after the results of the official investigation are released.

“We chose to hire teams considered top-notch in the industry, not cheaper, non-first-tier ones,” the companies said in a statement last month. “Cost was not our primary consideration.”

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

‍