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MTR Corporation
Hong KongLaw and Crime

Hong Kong MTR firebomb suspect dies in hospital from ‘organ failure’

Cheung Kam-fai, 60, had been charged with arson over the February attack on a train at Tsim Sha Tsui station

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A Facebook photo of the firebombing incident shows the man on fire at Tsim Sha Tsui station. Photo: Facebook
Ernest Kao
A man who set fire to a crowded Hong Kong MTR train during the evening rush hour three months ago died in hospital on Sunday morning.

Cheung Kam-fai, 60, had been arrested over the attack on an Admiralty-bound train on the Tsuen Wan Line on February 10 which left 19 people injured, four of them critically.

Cheung was charged with one count of arson with intent, but he never made it to court due to his injuries. The court had been regularly scheduling new dates for a hearing, with the next session originally slated for Monday.

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Court documents showed Cheung was a security guard and a resident of Chai Wan.

Inside a carriage on the train that caught fire. Photo: Edward Wong
Inside a carriage on the train that caught fire. Photo: Edward Wong
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“[He] passed away at about 5.20am on Sunday at Prince of Wales Hospital,” a government spokesman said.

Several videos of the firebombing incident show Cheung on fire while passengers use their clothes to help him put out the flames. He later falls unconscious on the ground before medics arrive and send him to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei.

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