HONG KONG — A 70-year-old cleaner reportedly hit on the head by a brick during a clash between anti-government protesters and residents in the Hong Kong border town of Sheung Shui on Wednesday (Nov 13) has died.

He was one of three men — aged between 15 and 70 — ­critically injured during confrontations over the past few days as clashes and protests rocked the city all week.

A spokesman for Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin confirmed that the man had died at 10.51pm on Thursday (Nov 14).

A hospital source said he had been admitted to the neurosurgery high-dependency unit and had not regained consciousness since being injured.

The case will be referred to the Coroner’s Court for follow-up.

Senior Superintendent Kelvin Kong Wing-cheung of the police public relations branch told a regular briefing earlier on Thursday that investigations were under way. “Video footage shows he was only taking pictures at the scene,” Mr Kong said.

Superintendent Steve Li Kwai-wah of the organised crime and triad bureau said the force had identified a number of suspects and hoped to bring them to justice soon.

Meanwhile, Mr Leung Chi-cheung, 57, who was set on fire by protesters in Ma On Shan on Monday, remained in critical condition in the Prince of Wales intensive care unit. The father of two daughters suffered burns to 44 per cent of his body.

Mr Leung chased a group of masked protesters who had vandalised an MTR station. He was then assaulted and set on fire after a flammable solution was poured over him in a case police have classified as attempted murder.

A 15-year-old boy, reportedly hit on the head by tear gas canisters in Tin Shui Wai on Wednesday night, was in critical condition in Tuen Mun Hospital. The injury occurred when police fired rounds of tear gas to disperse a crowd at Kingswood Richly Plaza on Tin Wu Road.

Medical sources earlier said the boy suffered a skull fracture and internal bleeding and underwent an urgent operation after being taken to hospital.

Pui Shing Catholic Secondary School in Tin Shui Wai confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the boy studied there.

“We feel very saddened and worried,” the school said, adding that it has been in touch with the student’s family. The school has also deployed a counselling officer, student support officer and social worker to provide support.

“As the emotions of [the student’s] family members have not calmed yet, it is not appropriate to give them too much pressure. We hope everyone will give them more space and let the injured [student] rest well and recover soon,” the school said, adding that it had started a crisis handling mechanism.

Mr Kong said police had not yet received a report of such a case.

“We don’t know why this man was at the scene. But from footage we have seen, he was wearing a pair of goggles at the time,” Kong said.

The force also denied a rumour that police were responsible for the death of a black-clad man in Tsuen Wan on Wednesday night. They played security footage from a building where the man fell, which showed that no people were in contact with him.

Police said the man, aged about 30, was found on Kwai Fuk Road in Kwai Chung at 10.37pm on Wednesday. He was unconscious when sent to Yan Chai Hospital and later died. An initial investigation found that he fell from the building, and police said the death was not suspicious. An autopsy would be performed.

The condition of Mr Chow Pak-kwan, a 21-year-old student who was shot by a police officer in Sai Wan Ho on Monday after a confrontation, has improved to stable.

Mr Chow was transferred from the intensive care unit at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan to a general ward. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST