The Consulates General of the Philippines and Indonesia in Hong Kong Respectively Confirmed that One Filipino and Seven Indian Domestic Helpers Died in the Tai Po Fire

The fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po has deprived 128 people of their lives and caused 83 injuries. The Consulate General of the Philippines in Hong Kong issued an advisory on Nov. 29th confirming that one Filipino died and one was injured in the fire accident. Besides, the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Hong Kong also stated that seven Indian domestic helpers lost their lives in the fire.

The advisory from the Consulate General of the Philippines in Hong Kong, Photo source: the official website of the consulate

The Consulate General of the Philippines in Hong Kong confirmed that one Filipino died and one was injured in the No.5 Alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. The consulate expressed its sincere condolences to her family, friends and relatives at this difficult time, praising her for making countless efforts far away from home to bring a better life to her family. The consulate hoped that the deceased would rest in peace. In addition, the consulate stated that the Consulate General mobile teams have confirmed 79 safe and accounted for Filipino nationals and 12 left for verification.

The statement of the consulate, Photo source: the official website of the consulate

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Hong Kong stated that, as of 11 a.m. on November 29th, the death toll of Indonesian foreign domestic helpers has reached seven, and multiple Indonesians have been injured. Some of the injured have been discharged from the hospital after treatment and placed in temporary accommodation. It is reported that about 140 Indonesians live in the units of WANG Fuk Court. The consulate will continue to provide comprehensive assistance and be responsible for the repatriation of the remains and related services.

The statement of the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Hong Kong, Photo source: the official website of the consulate

Mr Chris Sun, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, stated on November 29th that the Labour Department has visited the fire site together with the personnel from the Consulates General of Indonesia and the Philippines in Hong Kong. Necessary assistance from the Hong Kong government will be provided through the two consulates. The whereabouts of several foreign domestic helpers are still under search.

The site of fire in Tai Po, Photo by Bastille Post

The tragic fire in Tai Po has been drawing worldwide attention recently. The victims have received different kinds of donations from kind-hearted people from all walks of life. The young violist George Ng from Hong Kong has reached out his helping hand from the aspect of music by recording an instrumental ensemble video with other 16 young musicians from all over the world to express their hope that "this short music video can help to soothe the hearts of the disaster-stricken people and pass on the warmth to them as well as all the corners in Hong Kong."

The screenshot of the IG video

George Ng, a young violist from Hong Kong who is currently a third-year student at the Juilliard School in the United States, invited 16 young musician friends from all over the world to perform a piece of music together and recorded it in a video upon learning about the fire at Wang Fuk Court. The name of the music video is "Music Blesses Hong Kong".

The screenshot of the IG video

The screenshot of the IG video

The screenshot of the IG video

The 17 musicians come from China, the United States, Italy, South Korea, the Philippines, Argentina, Turkey, Albania, Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran. Although they speak different languages, they all tried to express the sincere wish "Get well soon, Hong Kong" in Cantonese at the beginning of the video, and then played different instruments such as violins, violas, pianos, etc. to play a small section of the music and then link up to form a complete piece.

The screenshot of the IG video

The screenshot of the IG video

"I hope to do my best to convey the warmth of music to my hometown. May our music bless Hong Kong, and also may the viewers of this video feel the spiritual power of our music." said George Ng. Next week, he will finish his studies at the Juilliard School ahead of schedule and return to Hong Kong. He hoped to visit the shelters for residents from Wang Fuk Court in person and comfort them with music to fulfill the sincere wish of "Music Blesses Hong Kong". After watching the video, many netizens have left their comments and expressed their gratitude to these young musicians for their concern for Hong Kong.

As for the details of the IG video, the following link is for reference.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRtr625jT1H/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a9a0ec4e-159c-4278-81f0-ea7df68edaf2