Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

One of the 2 giant ducks in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor deflates

One of the two giant inflatable ducks floating in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor has deflated, just a day after they were unveiled to revelers

Kanis Leung
Saturday 10 June 2023 07:05 EDT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

One of the two giant inflatable ducks floating in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor deflated on Saturday, just a day after they were unveiled to revelers.

Crowds of residents and tourists flocked in the scorching heat to the promenade near the government headquarters in Admiralty to snap photos of the ducks by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. But many who arrived in the afternoon only found one duck intact, with the other reduced to a puddle of yellow plastic.

Organizers said their staff found one of the ducks was overstretched due to the hot weather and rising air pressure.

“It was decided that the air needed to be immediately released by loosening the seams to avoid any potential risk,” they wrote in a post on social media.

They said the duck would be transferred back to the shipyard for repair.

The two 18-meter (59-feet) -tall yellow ducks resemble the bath toys. In 2013, one of Hofman's ducks was displayed in the city and sparked a frenzy. But that duck was also deflated during its exhibition period.

Hofman said he hoped the return of his pop-art icons would bring some joy to the city. “Double duck, double luck,” he said.

Hofman’s rubber ducks have been on a world tour since 2007.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in