The Philippine Consulate General announced late on Saturday the death of a Filipina domestic worker from the massive fire in Tai Po.
"With great sadness the Philippine Consulate General confirms the passing of an overseas Filipino worker from the Tai Po fire incident," the announcement said.
"Far from her native home, she had made innumerable sacrifices for her family."
The Consulate extended condolences to the victim's family and friends.
The death is the first to be announced from the ranks of Filipino domestic workers who lived and worked in the estate, where the fire first broke out at about 2pm on Wednesday, and raged for the next 48 hours.
The official death toll from the fire now stands at 128, with around 200 other people still missing. More than 70 are in hospital with injuries.
Among the Filipinos, there is one other who is still in hospital after suffering smoke inhalation. Another 12 are still being traced, while 79 have been declared safe and accounted for.
Two masses for the victims of the tragedy will be offered by the Filipino community in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong who are observing three days of mourning.
The Philippine Consulate is organizing a Catholic mass at 4pm at the OFW Global Centre in United Centre.
This will be preceded by a Christian mass on Chater Road at 11am, with Fr. Dwight dela Torre of the Iglesia Independiente Filipina (Aglipayan Church) presiding. The service will be held in lieu of a protest action against corruption in the Philippines organized by the FilAction group.
“In the wake of the devastating fire tragedy in Tai Po, our thoughts are profoundly with the victims and survivors who have endured unimaginable loss and suffering,” Fil-Action said. “Those who perished deserve our remembrance; their stories must be told, their lives cherished, and their struggles recognized.”
The protest was originally planned as Hong Kong's counterpart to the Trillion Peso March on EDSA in Manila on the same day.
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| DETAILS HERE |
The Philippine Consulate has also set up a Special Enquiry Counter at the Tai Po Complex, 8 Heung Sze Hui Street, Tai Po, today and tomorrow (Nov. 29 and 30), 10 am to 4pm, to provide assistance to Filipinos affected by the fire.
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| The Consulate's enquiry desk for Filipino fire victims |
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
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| Flags at government buildings fly at half mast |
Earlier on Saturday, flags at all government buildings flew at half-mast, while Chief Executive John Lee led civil servants in offering three minutes of silence to the victims.
The government has declared three days of mourning for all victims, from Saturday until Monday. Books of condolences have been set up at all 18 districts in Hong Kong where members of the public could write down messages of sympathy.
As Hong Kong mourns, Secretary for Labor and
Welfare Chris Sun paid tribute to
domestic workers from Indonesia and the Philippines who were working at Wang Fuk
Court in Tai Po when the fire broke out.
“We understand many of them took care of elderly people and
children at the Court. We know, many of them stayed inside together with their
employers, taking care of them even at the height of the fire,” Sun said.
“You can be rest assured, we will provide all the necessary
assistance to all the foreign domestic workers and make sure their stay in Hong
Kong is safe, and to cater to their needs,” he added.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
The Government will give $200,000 condolence donation to each member of a family who perished in the fire, including domestic helpers. Other cash handouts amounting to $10,000 and $50,000 were given earlier to each household affected by the fire.
