Hong Kong inquest delayed as father of two boys killed in fire questions rescue operation

An inquest into the death of two boys at a fire in a Yuen Long village in 2012 was adjourned yesterday after their father raised concerns over the rescue operation and pointed to problems with access to the village for emergency vehicles.

British actor Simon Watkiss, father of Eliot, eight, and Frankie, seven, put the issues forward before Coroner June Cheung Tin-ngan started the inquest into the death of the two boys.

The brothers were asleep in the first-floor bedroom of the family's house in Pat Heung Upper Village when the fire broke out shortly before 1am on October 27, 2012.

They were rushed to Pok Oi Hospital in Yuen Long, but were declared dead on arrival.

Watkiss said yesterday that the issues he raised, including the rescue operation and emergency vehicle access to villages in the New Territories, might endanger other lives if similar incidents happened in future.

Adjourning the inquest to a later date yet to be fixed, Cheung asked police to make further enquiries with the Fire Services Department, Lands Department and Buildings Department to seek answers to the questions Watkiss had raised.