A fifth of cubicles previously used as Covid-19 community isolation and treatment facilities in Hong Kong were damaged by two typhoons earlier this year and a “minor portion” will be demolished, authorities have confirmed.

The Development Bureau revealed the latest status of the 4,500 modules on Tuesday, a week after the Post found that dozens had damaged walls and collapsed roofs at the Tseung Kwan O fill bank, which stores construction waste.

“[Following] the recent two strong typhoons that affected Hong Kong this summer and given that the storage location was widely exposed to strong winds, around 20 per cent of these modular units were damaged,” the bureau said in a reply to the Post.

The bureau noted that “most” of the affected modules only had their metal panel walls damaged, but the structural steel frames remained “intact”.

“These units will undergo repairs and be properly protected, enabling them to be reused at construction sites of future public works projects,” the bureau said.

“The remaining minor portion of affected units, which have been deemed unsuitable for future reuse, are currently being dismantled, with steel materials separated and sent for recycling.”