Hong Kong grapples with mental health crisis after Tai Po inferno

A survivor of Hong Kong's deadliest blaze in decades was asked by fellow victims to join a suicide pact, a counselling psychologist has revealed - a stark reflection of the mental health crisis gripping the city after the disaster.

- Magdalene Fung Hong Kong Correspondent

Volunteers at the memorial set up by mourners for the victims of the deadly fire in Hong Kong's Tai Po district. The tragedy has claimed the lives of 160 people and the homes of thousands of others, while members of 13 households remain uncontactable a fortnight after the fire.

(AFP)

Counselling psychologist Cheung Yim, who has been working with those affected by the Nov 26 fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, said the woman had lost both her loved ones and her home and was struggling to cope with the trauma.

"The victim was housed together with many others affected by the fire," Dr Cheung, 38, an assistant professor at the Hong Kong Shue Yan University's Department of Counselling and Psychology, told The Straits Times.

"At the time, many of them were very emotionally unstable, having lost their family members and all that they knew and owned. They invited her to seek suicide with them. Fortunately, she sought help from counsellors in time."

Dr Cheung's account sheds light on the depth of the trauma, anguish and helplessness that victims of the Tai Po inferno are going through in the days following the disaster.

The tragedy has claimed the lives of 160 people and the homes of thousands of others; members of 13 households remain uncontactable a fortnight after the fire.

The authorities have opened investigations into the cause of the blaze and why it spread so quickly. So far, more than a dozen individuals have been arrested, and preliminary findings pinpoint mesh netting, styrofoam boards and a lack of follow-through in safety regulations as factors contributing to the fire.

The government - keenly aware that its task now is to rebuild not just homes, but also people's lives and confidence in the city's systems has vowed to prioritise mental health support for those affected by the fire.

'EMANATING SADNESS'