Hong Kong girl, 7, dies a week after choking on jelly

HONG KONG — A seven-year-old girl in Hong Kong has died a week after she choked on jelly candies.

The girl from Chiu Sheung School Hong Kong on Pok Fu Lam Road was rushed to hospital for treatment last Wednesday (Oct 20) after she choked during recess time.

A government spokesman said the girl died at 1.28pm in Queen Mary Hospital on Wednesday.

The school's headmaster said earlier that students had reported the incident to teachers after the girl collapsed on the floor, foaming at the mouth.

He said the student was eating jelly candies and talking to peers when she choked and fainted.

According to the Centre for Food Safety, young children can choke on food easily, leading to suffocation, especially when morsels are difficult to bite or chew.

"This is because children have small air and food passages, and their food-biting or chewing skills are still developing," the centre said on its website.

It mentioned jellies as being among food likely to cause choking, as they did not dissolve easily. The centre advised carers to modify the texture of high-risk food by cooking, fine-chopping, mashing or removing strong fibres to minimise risks of choking in children.

Separately, on Monday, a 58-year-old woman died two days after she choked on siu mai — a popular dim sum dish in Hong Kong. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST