Bank employee dies after fall from railing at Wan Chai mall
A 47-year-old bank employee died after falling from a railing at Sun Hung Kai Centre in Wan Chai on 10 October. Police believe the man, who had returned from Canada two days earlier, may have accidentally fallen while intoxicated.
A 47-year-old man died after falling from a railing at a shopping mall in Wan Chai on Saturday night (10 October), just a day before he was due to fly to Vietnam with his wife.
Police received a report from a security guard at about 10.25pm that a man was found unconscious and covered in blood on the driveway of the basement car park at Sun Hung Kai Centre. The man was rushed to Ruttonjee Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The deceased was a bank employee surnamed Chiu, according to sources. Chiu and his 37-year-old wife had emigrated to Canada and lived there for more than a decade before returning to Hong Kong two days ago. Sources said Chiu had dinner with his wife and several friends at a restaurant before heading to a bar at Sun Hung Kai Centre at about 9.40pm. The couple had planned to fly to Vietnam on Sunday.
While the group was shopping at a convenience store on the mall's first floor, Chiu reportedly walked outside alone and sat on a corridor railing about one metre high. He subsequently lost his balance and fell from the first floor to the car park below. His wife and friends searched for him after realising he was missing, but only learned of the incident when paramedics and police arrived.
Police reviewed CCTV footage and confirmed that Chiu had been sitting alone on the railing outside the convenience store before falling. As Chiu reportedly smelled of alcohol and no suicide note was found, police believe he may have accidentally fallen while intoxicated. The case has been classified as a person falling from height and referred to the Miscellaneous Enquiries Sub-unit of Wan Chai district for follow-up. The exact cause of death will be determined by an autopsy.