Hong Kong police hunt for man who allegedly tried to kill wife, children after burning charcoal

At around 5.45am on Wednesday, the wife woke up to a choking smoke and discovered charcoal in water in the kitchen sink, according to another source. He said her husband was not home.

Emergency personnel arrived at the flat after police received a report from the woman.

The source said the woman and her three daughters felt dizzy and were rushed to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment.

He said the flat windows were closed and the wooden door was sealed with adhesive tape, but no suicide note was found at the scene.

“Preliminary investigations showed the man had a failed business and financial difficulties,” the source said.

He said there were no reports of domestic violence or disputes involving the family, who had lived in the flat for more than 10 years.

As of 2pm, a police spokesman said the case had been classified as an attempted murder and officers were still searching for the man.

Detectives from the Tuen Mun district crime squad are handling the case.

Police handled 265 reports of domestic violence crimes in the first five months of this year, down eight per cent from 288 cases logged in the same period last year.