Update | Mother and two children found dead in domestic tragedy in Shau Kei Wan flat
Mainland father in critical condition after slashing his wrist in Shau Kei Wan flat
The bodies of a woman and her two children were found next to their unconscious father in a flat in Shau Kei Wan when firemen burst in yesterday.
Zhang Lun, eight, was dead beside the body of his mother, Zhang Guilian, 34, on a blood-soaked mattress on the floor. His sister Zhang Dan, nine, was dead under a bed. The siblings appeared to have been bludgeoned to death with a hammer.
We believe a love dispute was to blame for the killing. Her boyfriend wanted to reunite with her but she refused
"Their mother suffered a five to six-inch-long deep wound in the neck," Chief Inspector Lam Siu-wah said.
A hammer and bloodstained chopper were found in the flat.
Their 38-year-old father, a mainland visitor who was unconscious in bed with a slashed wrist after attempting suicide, was arrested. He was in a critical condition in hospital last night.
The three had been dead for more than 24 hours.
They were last seen by security guards at the public housing estate about two days ago.
Police said the man had brought his two children from the mainland on Tuesday to visit their mother.
Zhang moved to the city from the mainland in 2011 after marrying an elderly Hong Kong man. He died this year.
"We believe a love dispute was to blame for the killing," a police source said. "Her boyfriend wanted to reunite with her but she refused."
The tragedy was discovered when a neighbour complained of a smell from the flat on the 13th floor of Oi Yuk House, Oi Tung Estate, just before noon.
The bodies were found when firefighters broke into the flat.
Police are treating the case as murder and attempted suicide.
Zhang had a heated argument with her boyfriend three months ago and called police, but the couple settled the dispute. Police followed up the case with the Social Welfare Department. Officers contacted her in May, but were told she did not need help.
The Social Welfare Department urged anyone with family problems to contact the department or non-governmental organisations.
Recent family tragedies
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A businessman, his wife and their two-year-old son found dead in their Ta Kwu Ling home along with a suicide note
A mentally ill woman in Tin Shui Wai throws her two children, their hands and feet bound, from a 24th-floor flat before leaping to her death
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A man stabs his wife to death in Tuen Mun before killing himself. Their daughter, five, is unhurt
