HK Man Dies In Peru After Contracting Coronavirus

A Hong Kong man has died in the South American country of Peru after he was infected with the Covid-19 virus.

The 64-year-old man and his wife were said to be visiting the southeastern Peruvian city of Cusco when he was ill.

He had been in self-quarantine for more than a week before passing away on Friday, local time. Reports say he never sought hospital treatment in Cusco.

The Chinese embassy in Peru confirmed that a visitor from Hong Kong died of cardiac arrest after coming down with Covid-19. The embassy offered its condolences to the family and promised to provide the necessary assistance.

Cusco is about 580 kilometres southeast of the capital, Lima.

Civic Party lawmaker Jeremy Tam has accused the government of not doing enough to help Hong Kong residents stranded in Peru. He says he's learnt that about 80 Hong Kong residents are in the country, seeking help, which includes members of two tour groups.

In a statement, the government says it has been offering assistance to Hong Kong people stranded in Peru and Morocco.

For those in Peru, the government says it's been in contact with the Chinese embassy there and a number of airlines to try to fly them home. But it pointed out that people are in different parts of the country, so arrangements need to be made to gather them in Lima for them to fly out.

As for 150 Hong Kong people stranded in Morocco, the government says 113 have either left the country or are prepared to do so. Thirty-seven are still in Morocco, mainly in Casablanca and Marrakech. Efforts are under way to try to get them back to the SAR.

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