Save our McRefugees: Woman’s lonely unnoticed death in Hong Kong McDonald’s highlights need to help homeless
Discovery of dead woman who spent 24 hours in fast-food restaurant highlights worsening plight of city’s homeless, say concern groups
The lonely death of a homeless woman at a 24-hour McDonald’s outlet has put the spotlight on the need to help “McRefugees” who spend all night at the fast-food chain’s branches because they have nowhere else to go.
Concern groups yesterday urged the government to take immediate steps, such as imposing rent controls, building homeless shelters in the short term and building more public housing.
Meanwhile, the Social Welfare Department said it was “highly concerned” about the plight of street sleepers and help was available.
The dead woman, who had gone unnoticed by staff and customers, was found slumped over a table at 8.30am on Saturday – 24 hours after she entered the outlet at Ping Shek Estate in Kowloon Bay. It is believed she was a street sleeper who regularly spent nights in McDonald’s.
CCTV footage showed the woman, aged between 50 and 60, entering the restaurant at 8.39am on Friday. At 1.20am on Saturday, she suddenly slumped over the table. Nobody paid her any attention as customers ate their late-night meals around her.
Wendy Lam, senior director of corporate affairs for McDonald’s Hong Kong, expressed grief over the incident, promising that the fast food chain would cooperate with police in their investigation.
McDonald’s clarified that the woman had not ordered any food but staff noticed that she was moving, and she had asked for water from the counter.
