Hong Kong’s MTR Corp reveals broken emergency button in station toilet where elderly man was found dead in report sent to family of deceased
- Relatives of Hui, who was found dead in Hung Hom station toilet, reveal findings of MTR Corp report seen by Post
- Family members say they are considering filing civil lawsuit against the railway company
Hong Kong’s sole rail operator has revealed that an emergency call button inside a toilet for people with disabilities at Hung Hom station where an elderly man died was broken in a report sent to the family members of the deceased.
Hui’s relatives on Thursday disclosed the findings of the MTR Corporation’s investigation, which was sent to them one month after the tragedy in July. The report looked into why it took more than four hours to find Hui after family members first alerted staff that he was missing.
They said they believed the failure of the emergency system had led to his death and they were considering filing a civil lawsuit against the company.
“When the staff found Hui at the scene, he was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. We believe that Hui had pressed the emergency call button for help, but it was broken and had failed to send a signal,” Hui’s family said.
In a reply to the Post, an MTR Corp spokeswoman said the company would follow up on the family’s potential lawsuit through relevant channels, but it had nothing else to add at this stage and would cooperate with any further actions if needed.
The incident took place on July 20 when Hui, 66, travelled along the Tuen Ma line with his 62-year-old wife from Ma On Shan to Yuen Long to visit friends, according to the couple’s 40-year-old son.
When they arrived at Hung Hom station at about 5pm, Hui told his wife he would use the toilet, but due to her walking difficulties, he had asked her to go ahead to Long Ping and wait there, the son recounted earlier.