Homeless man beaten, belongings set on fire in Tsz Wan Shan

A homeless man was beaten and his belongings set on fire on a footbridge in Tsz Wan Shan early on Tuesday, with police hunting two suspects.

The fire broke out around 3am on a staircase at the junction of Wan Wah Street and Wai Wah Street. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze and found a man with injuries not caused by the fire but suspected to be from an assault.

The conscious man, said to be an elderly long-term sleeper on the footbridge's second level, was taken to hospital.

Initial investigations suggest two men attacked him with objects including a road sign before setting fire to his cardboard and belongings. Police believe there may have been a prior dispute and are searching for the two men. The case is being handled as assault and arson.