A Hong Kong man disrupted subway services temporarily as he sought refuge from a family dispute by hiding in an underground tunnel for four hours, an official said Friday.

The 24-year-old man was found Thursday night inside a drainage well about 100 meters (33 feet) in the subway tunnel four hours after setting off an alarm signaling an intruder, said Lam Yik-tin, a spokeswoman for the Mass Transit Railway Corp.

The man, identified by his surname, Chan, later told police that he only wanted to hide from his family after an argument, police spokeswoman Terry Yau said. He suffered some scratches.

Train services were suspended for more than 10 minutes in an initial search and another 10 minutes during a second search, Yik said.

Legislators questioned whether the company should have suspended services until the man was found.

But Yik said there is plenty of room inside the tunnel, and the company had to balance the interests of commuters and the man.

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