Hong Kong officials express condolences over death of social worker aiding Wang Fuk Court residents

2026-02-03 - 04:27

Hong Kong officials have expressed condolences over the death of a government social worker who was reportedly assigned to assist survivors of the city’s deadliest fire in decades. Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, pictured on December 1, 2025, in the aftermath of the fatal blaze. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. On January 22, the social worker, who worked for the Social Welfare Department (SWD), collapsed on the street after visiting residents of the fire-hit Wang Fuk Court and was later pronounced dead, according to local media. He reportedly had pre-existing health issues. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said in a statement late on Monday evening that the worker was found collapsed last month and was later certified dead in hospital. “On behalf of the Labour and Welfare Bureau, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the colleague’s family. The SWD has promptly contacted his family to provide appropriate support and will continue to assist them through this difficult time,” he said. In a separate statement on Monday, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung “expressed sorrow” over the social worker’s death. “The Government is making every effort to help his family during this sad and difficult period,” it read. ‘One social worker per household’ The SWD confirmed to local media that one of its social workers collapsed and was pronounced dead after being admitted to hospital. Local media also reported that the social worker was part of the government’s “one social worker per household” programme, which was set up to provide support for residents affected by the Wang Fuk Court fire. See also: Tai Po fire review committee to ban recording, filming at first public meeting The deadly blaze broke out on November 26 last year, tearing through seven of the eight buildings at the Tai Po housing estate, killing 168 people and displacing nearly 5,000 residents. Social Welfare Department. Photo: GovHK. The government assigns a team of one social worker and two to three civil servants to each household to provide psychological support, handle financial assistance, and assist with rehousing arrangements. Social Welfare Director Edward To said in early December that the service would remain in place “indefinitely” to cater for Wang Fuk Court residents in the long term. Addressing concerns raised last week by lawmaker Chan Wing-kwong about the pressure faced by government social workers, To said that he acknowledged frontline social workers also had other duties and that the department was monitoring their workload.