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HK mourns victims of hijacking

Updated: 2010-08-25 11:52

The special administrative region flew its flag at half-mast on Tuesday as it mourned the deaths of eight Hong Kong residents killed in a dramatic bus hijack in Manila broadcast live on TV the previous evening.

The Chinese government has asked Manila to "thoroughly" investigate the incident.

President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice-President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent messages of condolences to the families of the Hong Kong victims.

Hong Kong Chief Secretary Henry Tang attended vigils in Central and Western District Tuesday evening.

A Hong Kong woman whose husband and two daughters were among the tourists killed tearfully blamed Philippine authorities on Tuesday for the tragedy.

The survivor, who identified herself only as Mrs Leung, sat sobbing outside a hospital in Manila after the deaths of her two daughters - aged 14 and 21 - were confirmed.

Her 18-year-old son was in intensive care with a serious head injury, according to media reports.

"I can't accept this. Why did they do this to us?"

"(The gunman) did not want to kill us. He only shot us after negotiations broke down," she said on Hong Kong Cable News TV.

Her husband had died when he tried to stop the gunman. "My husband was a hero," she said, adding that she had played dead to survive.

The family of five were on holiday in Manila.

The death toll from Monday's hostage crisis in Manila, not including the hijacker, stood at eight as of 8 pm on Tuesday.

Susanna Lau Mei-sze, general manager of Hong Thai - the travel service which organized the Hong Kong tour group to Manila - also confirmed four males and four females between the ages of 14 and 57 were killed.

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（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

HK mourns victims of hijacking

Todd Balazovic is a reporter for the Metro Section of China Daily. Born in Mineapolis Minnesota in the US, he graduated from Central Michigan University and has worked for the China daily for one year.