Woman ‘suffocates to death’ under pile of clothing in Hong Kong flat
- Victim’s son found her unconscious and covered by a large amount of clothing in their North Point flat
- Woman, 59, is believed to have been buried and suffocated by the clothing that fell on her while she slept in the bedroom
A 59-year-old housewife has been found dead in a Hong Kong flat, where she is believed to have suffocated under piles of clothing that fell on her.
Emergency personnel were called to her flat in the Flora Garden housing estate on Cloud View Road in North Point at 8.41am on Friday, when police received a report from her family.
“Her son entered her bedroom and found the victim unconscious on the floor and covered by a large amount of clothing,” a police source said, adding the woman was certified dead by paramedics at the scene and initial investigations found nothing suspicious.
The woman, surnamed Tse, lived with her 63-year-old husband, a retiree, and three adult children in the three-bedroom, 837 sq ft flat, which was packed with clothing and sundries. She suffered from arthritis and osteoporosis and had to take medication regularly.
The source said the investigation showed the woman’s bedroom had been cluttered with items, mainly clothing, in a chaotic manner for a long time.
“Piles of clothing from floor to ceiling were stacked in every corner of her bedroom as well as her bed so she had to sleep on the floor,” he said.
On Thursday night, she returned to her bedroom and slept on the floor while her husband slept in the living room. She was last seen without problem shortly after midnight, according to the force.
“It is possible the piles of clothing fell on her when she was asleep on the floor and buried and suffocated her,” the source said.
The insider said the woman was covered by a large amount of clothing when found and there were no injuries on her body.
An autopsy would be carried out to ascertain the cause of death, a police spokesman said.
