Hong Kong pastor loses 3 loved ones in devastating Tai Po fire

For 17 odd years as a pastor, Reverend Jenny Lam Yat-kwan witnessed life and death and helped those in despair, but after losing three members of her family in the devastating Tai Po fire in Hong Kong, she needed all the courage and strength she could draw from God.

Lam, the pastor of ELCHK Diamond Lutheran Church, told the Post on Sunday night that the three family members were confirmed dead, with their bodies recovered from one of the buildings in Wang Fuk Court.

The tragic loss plunged her large family into disbelief and sorrow beyond words.

Because each body required next-of-kin identification and DNA testing, one person had to endure three rounds of this painful process, including the trauma of a mistaken identification.

“Without questioning why the fire happened, all I prayed for was to find missing family members. And they were found,” Lam said. “I want to thank the Disaster Victim Identification Unit and firefighters for allowing us to say goodbye.”

And the Almighty showed his grace, Lam said, by sending three young “angels” to help the devastated family in its quest for closure.