The Buildings Department on Wednesday said it has initiated nine prosecutions over a construction crane collapse last September which killed three workers.

The crane crashed onto several containers at a construction site on Anderson Road in Sau Mau Ping because a welded joint had come apart.

The department said that after consulting the Department of Justice, it initiated the prosecutions against four companies and four individuals, under the Buildings Ordinance.

It said the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts has issued a summons and the hearing will be held on January 30 next year.

It said the Development Bureau may also extend tendering bans for two related contractors, or even remove them from the approved list.

In March, the Labour Department initiated 67 prosecutions against contractors, subcontractors and a number of individuals.