Deadly blaze at Nepalese kitchen-style diner sounds alarm over Hong Kong’s unlicensed ‘fire hazard’ restaurants
- Nepalese venue in Yau Ma Tei is like many others visited regularly by those unable to access city’s licensed premises, say concerned residents
- Seven killed in Sunday night tragedy, 11 others injured including several in a life-threatening condition in hospital
The unlicensed restaurant at the centre of Hong Kong’s worst fire tragedy in nearly a decade is likely to be just one of many similar city establishments frequented by members of ethnic minorities due to a lack of proper facilities where they can gather, concerned residents have said.
Observers said Sunday’s deadly inferno at the Nepalese diner in Yau Ma Tei – which killed seven people and injured 11 others – exposed how these groups had been marginalised in society.
The fatal blaze at the private venue known as “Jeere Khursani” on Canton Road has also shone a light on the lack of proper fire suppression systems in old buildings across Hong Kong, prompting calls for authorities to scale up inspections.
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Hong Kong tenement fire kills at least seven people, injures several more
Of those killed or injured, 17 were Nepali while one person’s nationality was not known. Seven of those in hospital had life-threatening injuries, as of Monday night.
Jeffrey Andrews, a social worker supporting Hong Kong’s ethnic minority communities, called on the government to provide more venues for poorer sections of society to congregate.
“Hong Kong is an international city, but with festivities and gatherings, whereas the rich elite book hotels and fancy restaurants, low-income families have to do it in parks and places like that,” said Andrews, who is helping families affected by the blaze.
He said some of the flats in the city’s tenement buildings were subdivided into 16 units, adding: “Of course they are fire hazards … there’s no monitoring.”