Police have arrested a 59-year-old man on suspicion of starting a fire inside the Mong Kok MTR station on Saturday morning.
Officers arrested the suspect at an apartment in Un Chau Estate in Cheung Sha Wan at 9:30pm last night after combing through CCTV footage leading up to the fire.
The fire broke out inside the concourse of Mong Kok MTR station just before 10am on Saturday, Apple Daily reports.
One eyewitness at the scene told the newspaper that he saw a man standing against the wall of the concourse close to one of the MTR exits, and 10 minutes later heard someone scream. That was when everyone saw the fire.
No one was hurt, and the fire had actually gone out on its own before fire services arrived at the scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7dVY7wuXPc&frags=pl%2Cwn
Speaking to reporters at a press briefing last night, Superintendent Chung Chi-ming, assistant district commander (crime) for Mong Kok District, said the man was attempting to commit suicide and did not intend to hurt other people inside the station.
Chung said the man, who was unemployed and living alone, began having suicidal thoughts because of he was worried about his health and age.
It was immediately unclear how precisely he had intended to commit suicide — or if he will faces formal charges — but after setting the paper ablaze, he panicked and fled the scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vO3qzJ-0kk
If you or someone you know needs help, please call:
- 24-hour hotline at Suicide Prevention Services: +852 2382 0000;
- 24-hour hotline at Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong: +852 2389 2222;
- 24-hour multilingual hotline at Samaritans: +852 2896 0000;
- Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care: +852 2868 1211.
