Photo:AFP

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) confirmed the death of a student who suffered brain injuries after a car park fall. The Hong Kong police said they will explain the situation later. Police have denied pushing the suspected victim. 

On Friday morning, Wei Shyy, president of HKUST, confirmed the death of the student and led fellow students in mourning his death. After the death of the HKUST student, the university president urged students to observe restraint during this time so as to avoid further conflict and tragedy.

During a demonstration in Tseung Kwan O at midnight on Monday, the 22-year-old student was seriously injured after falling from the third floor of the parking structure to the second floor. 

After he was injured, some media pointed the finger at Hong Kong police and spread rumors, accusing them of pushing the student and hindering ensuing recovery operations.

The police addressed those rumors at a press conference the following day.

They said that the injured student was found on the second floor 120 meters away from where police fired tear gas.

After checking surveillance video, police found that the student fell between 12:45 am and 1:00 am from a spot where no police officers had yet arrived. The injured student was picked up by an ambulance at 1:20 am. It was blocked by two vehicles on the way to hospital.

A video circulating online shows someone tossing objects from the building before police fired tear gas.

Police denied they hindered the recovery operation or blocked the ambulance from leaving.

On Monday evening, a group of black-clad HKUST students gathered in the campus in the name of supporting the fallen student. They illegally detained the university president for six hours and falsely accused a teacher from the Chinese mainland of sexually harassing them.

On Wednesday evening, a mainland student was attacked by black-clad rioters in the HKUST campus. 

Global Times