This photo dated Aug 10, 2019 shows some old buildings in Tai Po, Hong Kong. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG –  The Hong Kong police arrested a 62-year-old man suspected of stabbing his girlfriend and her two underage daughters several times before setting their apartment on fire on Monday morning.

The woman, who had more than 40 stab wounds, and her 13- and 8-year-old daughters, who had three to five wounds, were declared dead after being rushed to hospitals. The suspect was arrested after the fire at their subdivided flat in Mei Wan Building in Tai Po.  

“Initial investigation revealed that the man had a dispute with his girlfriend. He later assaulted his girlfriend and her two daughters with a knife and (started a) fire inside the unit,” police said.

The fire broke out around 2 am on a lower floor of the 50-year-old building and it took about 40 minutes for firefighters to put it out. The police said they also received a report at about 1:50 am from a resident who heard a loud argument from a flat at Heung Sze Wui Square, where the residential building is located. The police are conducting a murder and arson investigation. 

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