Hong Kong police officers assigned to identify victims of the deadly Tai Po fire remain mentally stable despite facing tougher conditions than in previous disasters, the force’s psychologists have said.
Police clinical psychologist Michael Fung Ho-kin told the Post on Wednesday that the psychological services group had provided mental health support to frontline officers before, during and after the operation, with none requiring treatment so far.
The blaze, which broke out on November 26 at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, has so far killed at least 160 people, injured 79, and displaced almost 5,000. At one point, more than 200 were reported missing, but the figure had fallen to six as of Wednesday.
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Fung said the psychological impact of the Tai Po tragedy on officers was greater than that of past disasters, such as the 2012 Lamma Island ferry collision and the 2018 Tai Po traffic accident.
“This time, the operation was more challenging, and the duration was longer,” he said.
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“There has also been extensive and prolonged media coverage of the incident – it’s all over Hong Kong, and the officers are easily exposed to it no matter when and where.”