More than 100 people were injured in yesterday’s China National Day clashes, and nearly 200 were arrested.
According to RTHK, a Hospital Authority spokesperson confirmed that as of 9:30am this morning, 104 people had been hospitalized with injuries sustained during yesterday’s protest.
The injured includes 81 men and 23 women, 29 of whom were in stable condition. Two men remain in a critical condition and are receiving treatment at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital and Ruttonjee Hospital. The spokesperson confirmed that 55 men and 16 women had been discharged.
The staggering tally of injuries came as police announced that 269 people were arrested over the wide-ranging clashes.
Deputy Police Commissioner Tang Ping-keung also told reporters at a press press briefing this afternoon the number of officers injured yesterday was 30.
The updated figures come hours after Police Commissioner Stephen Lo confirmed in a late-night press briefing that 180 people were arrested yesterday, and the suspects were arrested on suspicion of rioting, unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapons, and assaulting police officers.
During last night’s heated briefing, Lo characterized yesterday’s protest as “one of the most violent, chaotic days in the history of Hong Kong,” and called the protesters “rioters.”
He also noted that a total of six rounds of live ammunition were fired by police on Tuesday, including warning shots fired by officers under attack in Yau Ma Tei and Wong Tai Sin, as well as an incident in Tsuen Wan in which an officer shot a high school student in the chest at close range.
Lo defended the shooting as “reasonable and legal,” saying that the officer who opened fire had legitimately feared for his life.
The student is reportedly in stable condition after having emergency surgery to remove the bullet, which was lodged just three centimeters from his heart.
NOTE: This story has been updated to include revised figures on arrests and police injuries.
