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Ng Kang-chung

A three-year-old Hong Kong girl has been discovered alone in her public housing flat with the body of her 40-year-old mother, who was suspected to have died on her bed days ago.
The tragedy came to light on Friday morning in the pair’s 24th-floor flat in Ping Wah House at Lok Wah North Estate in Kwun Tong.
While an initial examination reportedly indicated that the mother had been dead for about four days, a source said the exact time of death would need to be ascertained by an autopsy.
The discovery was made at around 11.20am after the loud cries of the girl alarmed neighbours. Fearing she was being mistreated, they contacted estate staff for help. The girl was also reportedly banging on the flat’s gate.
According to the source, the Housing Department then called the girl’s grandmother to help open the door.
A police spokesman said a department employee called the force. “It was at first suspected to be an abuse case,” the spokesman added.
Upon the officers’ arrival, the mother, who reportedly suffered from asthma, was found lying on a bed in a room and was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The three-year-old girl had no visible injuries on her body,” the spokesman said.
“There was no sign of her being mistreated. Initial investigations also found there was enough food inside the flat.”
The girl was taken to United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong for further examination.
The case was classified as “dead body found”, police said.
A neighbour told the media the girl did not know her mother had died when she heard the child shouting for help at around 11am.
“I asked her what happened,” the neighbour said. “She said she could not come out. So I asked where her mother was. She said her mother was asleep.”
Kwun Tong district councillor Lee Ka-hang, whose constituency covers the estate, said he had learned that the mother had emotional problems.
“She had to support the family on her own. It was understood the father was not living with them, and the grandmother was used to visiting the girl and the woman regularly,” he said.
The grandmother last visited the pair on Sunday, it was understood.
“The social welfare and housing departments have been aware of the situation of the family and have been following up since last year as far as I understand,” Lee said.
“The kindergarten the girl goes to had also tried to contact the mother because the girl had not gone to class for many days. I was given to understand that the teacher had planned a visit to the family on Friday, too. But it was still too late.”
Lee declined to comment on unconfirmed reports that the mother had called the kindergarten on May 15 to say the girl would be absent from class because she was ill. So the kindergarten sensed nothing amiss in her prolonged absence.
He also said he appreciated that government care teams might have tried their best.
“Even if the team sends members to call on the family every day, they can’t just call police to break into the flat after failing to contact the family for one or two days,” Lee said.
“That the neighbours had stepped in this time already showed that the care team has been able to build up social cohesion and developed care among residents in the community to offer help to others in need.”
In a reply to a Post inquiry, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department said: “Social workers from the department have contacted the family members concerned and will provide appropriate assistance according to their welfare needs.”
There had been calls for more effort to identify and offer support to “high-risk” families.
In February, a man, 44, with intellectual disability was found to have stayed in his Tuen Mun home alone beside the body of his 78-year-old father, his carer, for at least two days.
The tragedy only came to light after a security guard on patrol detected a foul odour coming out of the flat and called police. The son was believed to have survived by eating leftover food.
In February 2021, a 79-year-old wheelchair user with dementia was left alone in her Sheung Shui home for two days after her daughter, 44, died there. The case was discovered after a security guard on patrol failed to contact the duo for days and called police.
In November 2020, a four-year-old boy stayed alone in a Mong Kong flat with the body of his mother, 28, who was killed by her husband after she sought to break up with him.
The husband then jumped to his death. Police failed to identify him or where he stayed. The tragedy unfolded two days later when a friend of the woman went to visit the family.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.


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Hong Kong

Society

Loud cries from child alerted neighbours, with one saying girl thought 40-year-old mother was simply asleep


Loud cries from child alerted neighbours, with one saying girl thought 40-year-old mother was simply asleep.


Accidents and personal safety in Hong Kong

Hong Kong children

Crying girl, 3, found alone alongside dead mum in Hong Kong flat

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Loud cries from child alerted neighbours, with one saying girl thought 40-year-old mother was simply asleep

Loud cries from child alerted neighbours, with one saying girl thought 40-year-old mother was simply asleep