A two-year-old girl died and her twin sister, mother and domestic helper were seriously injured when an electric heater set off a fierce blaze in their apartment before dawn yesterday.
Police were last night waiting for the girls' father to return from a business trip to Australia to ascertain which of the identical twin sisters died in the blaze, as their mother was still unconscious.
The surviving sister was last night in a serious condition in Tuen Mun Hospital. Their mother, Kannammal Mohan, 26, and domestic helper were both in critical condition.
The family was asleep in the living room of their 22nd-floor, two-bedroom apartment in the Hong Kong Gold Coast estate, Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun, when the blaze broke out shortly after 5am.
Neighbours told officers they heard cries for help from the flat before emergency crews arrived and evacuated some residents of the 27-storey block.
A spokeswoman for the Fire Services Department said the blaze had burned out when firefighters arrived, but there was dense smoke inside the unit and corridor.
Assistant Tuen Mun district commander (crime) Superintendent To Hon-ki said: 'The surviving girl, her mother and domestic helper were found lying unconscious in the corridor outside their burning apartment. The twin sister, who was later declared dead in hospital, was discovered behind the door inside the flat.
