Two people in critical condition after violence escalates in Hong Kong
Two people are in critical condition following another day of violent protests in Hong Kong.
A protester was shot by a police officer on Monday morning, becoming the third person to be shot by the authorities since demonstrations began 24 weeks ago.
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The second person was a pro-Beijing supporter who was set on fire after being covered in a flammable liquid following an argument with protesters, according to the BBC.
Reuters reported that unverified images circulating online appeared to show a man squirting petrol on another and setting him on fire.
The Hospital Authority said a man had been admitted with severe burns and was in critical condition.
Police also reportedly fired tear gas in the city’s central business district, and fired live rounds at close rage at protesters in Sai Wan Ho on the eastern side of the island during the violent demonstrations, which have dragged Asian stocks down this morning.
Hong Kong authorities first began using live rounds as warning shots in August, and have shot two people, and 18-year-old and 14-year-old, who both survived.
The latest outbreak of violence comes after a weekend of mourning following the death on Friday of a student who fell from a height during a protest last week.
Chow Tsz-lok fell from the third to the second floor of a car park on Monday.
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Protesters are angry about what they see as police brutality and meddling by Beijing in the freedoms guaranteed to the former British colony by the “one country, two systems” formula put in place when the territory returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Main image credit: Getty