Philippine maid saves a newborn baby in the Tai Po blaze
During the devastating fire at the Wang Fuk Court complex, 28-year-old Filipina Rhodora Alcaraz protected a three-month-old baby with her own body. The tragedy, with more than 150 deaths so far, highlights the role of Southeast Asian domestic workers in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, outrage is growing as expressions of condolence are offered, but Beijing has warned that any protest will be repressed.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – During the fire that ravaged the eight buildings of the Wang Fuk Court complex in Hong Kong, a Philippine domestic worker saved the life of a three-month-old baby.
Her story has put the spotlight on the thousands of foreign women living with the families they work for in the former British colony.
Rhodora Alcaraz, 28, arrived in Hong Kong only a few days before the fire broke out on 26 November. Trapped in a flat with the baby, she contacted her sister, Raychelle Loreto, via Facebook: “I feel weak, I can't breathe,” she said in desperation.
Later, the sister spoke to international media. “We are poor. Our father is just a fisherman, that is why she (Rhodora) decided to work abroad to help the family. We are so proud of our sister and she didn’t leave the baby until they were rescued,” Loreto said.
Unable to escape, Alcaraz wrapped the baby in a wet blanket and used her own body to shield the newborn from the flames and smoke. She was still clutching the infant when firefighters rescued her. She is currently hospitalised. The baby is also in stable condition, local authorities reported.
Senator Imee Marcos (sister of incumbent Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) visited Rhodora Alcaraz in hospital along with officials from the Philippines’ Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the agency that assists Filipino workers abroad.
According to 2024 data, 368,000 domestic workers live in Hong Kong out of a population of 7.5 million. Most of them are from the Philippines (55 per cent) and Indonesia (42 per cent).
Their presence allows young Hong Kong women with children to remain in the labour market after pregnancy, but also helps families with senior citizens in need of care.
On average, they earn about HK$ 5,000, equivalent to US$ 642 a month, in one of the most expensive cities in the world, especially in terms of rental housing.
Indonesian authorities have reported that seven Indonesian domestic workers are among the victims of the fire, whose death toll rose to 151 this morning with 40 missing.
For their part, local authorities have set aside emergency funds, but it is unclear whether foreign workers will benefit from the assistance.
In response to the tragedy, hundreds of thousands of people have mobilised to help survivors or even simply to offer a prayer.
Yesterday morning, hundreds of people attended a service of condolences for the Filipino community, while the line of people bringing bouquets to Tai Po this morning was two kilometres long, according to local media.
Meanwhile, police have arrested some 14 people in connection with the renovation work on the complex, which began last year.
At first, it appeared that the flames started with bamboo scaffolding. In fact, images posted online show that the bamboo was untouched in several places even though the buildings, over 30 stories high, continued to burn for dozens of hours.
The investigation so far has revealed that the company involved in the renovations (which had been fined in the past for corruption and other illegal practices) had decided to use low-quality (and less expensive) safety nets and polystyrene panels that did not meet fire safety standards, especially after rains in July damaged some of the nets.
Police report that a roll of fireproof netting that meets safety standards costs at least HK$ 100, but the company preferred cheaper ones, which cost about half as much. Residents themselves had raised concerns about the materials used.
The incident has fuelled anger across the city, especially after Chief Secretary Eric Chan stated at a press conference last week that the city would gradually phase out bamboo scaffolding in favour of metal scaffolding.
Yesterday, China, which imposed a national security law on the city in 2020 to silence dissent and pro-democracy protests, warned that any expressions of condolence that turn into "anti-China" protests will be forcefully repressed.
Police arrested and later released a 24-year-old student, Miles Kwan, who had launched a petition calling for an independent investigation into the corruption behind the tragedy and a review of construction supervision (he had collected 10,000 signatures by Saturday before the campaign was shut down).
Despite the fire, local authorities appear set on holding elections to the Hong Kong Legislative Council on 7 December with only candidates deemed "patriotic" by Beijing allowed to run.
Despite a large-scale propaganda campaign by Hong Kong’s pro-China government to boost voter turnout, the election risks being a flop as people might stay away as a form of protest.
On top of a pile of flowers, a piece of paper that said, “It isn’t scaffolding that should be scrutinised. It should be the system” was clearly visible.
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17/11/2017 13:34
