(Video) Woman scatters $1,000 notes from high-rise in Shantou, officials say money recovered

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A woman scattered large quantities of HK$1,000 notes from a high-rise apartment in Shantou, Guangdong province on Tuesday morning, prompting bystanders to scramble for the cash before authorities stepped in to recover the money, local officials said.

The incident occurred around 10am at Xinghu City in Longhu District. Video and photos circulating on social media show the woman repeatedly throwing stacks of the purple banknotes from her balcony. Some online posts claimed the amount could reach up to HK$2 million.

Property management staff confirmed that some residents had turned in found notes, which were verified as genuine. A local police station said the matter "has been handled," while urging residents to hand over any recovered cash.

In an evening statement, the Zhuchi subdistrict office said the woman was experiencing emotional distress due to a family member's serious illness. After being comforted, she stabilized. Workers and residents collected the scattered money and returned it. The statement did not specify the total amount involved.

A similar incident occurred in Chongqing last month when two fraud suspects tossed cash from a window in an attempt to destroy evidence. All the money was recovered.

Hong Kong saw its own notorious case in 2018 when a man known as "Coin Young Master" showered hundreds of banknotes from a rooftop in Sham Shui Po, causing a scramble and public disorder. He was later sentenced to 10 days in jail, suspended for one year.