HONG KONG: An elderly man is in critical condition after being hit by a brick during a confrontation between protesters and a group of residents in Sheung Shui, say Hong Kong media reports.

Reports said that a group of black-clad protesters clashed with residents outside Sheung Shui MTR station in New Territories.





Video shows the two groups picking up bricks scattered on the ground and throwing them at each other. Those dressed in black then retreated under the shelter of umbrellas.

The man, aged 70, was reportedly hit on the head by a brick in the midst of the altercation.



A video clip shows that he fell to the ground immediately after being struck, and the brick-throwing continued as he lay on the ground.

Police searched the area but no arrests were made, the South China Morning Post said.

Hong Kong is experiencing a third day of escalating violence as protesters dig in their heels while police retaliate with tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets.

Barricaded in university campuses, student protesters have been in stand-offs with the police since Tuesday.

On the streets, people with differing views are turning on each other, and tear gas cloaked many areas as police tried to disperse protesters who have blocked roads across the city.

The flare-ups came after police shot a protester at close range on Monday and police said "rioters" doused a man with petrol and set him on fire in some of the worst violence so far.



Protesters look out from a raised platform on a barricaded bridge which leads into the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Nov 13, 2019. (Photo: AP/Ng Han Guan)

The Hospital Authority said that as of 5pm, there were 48 people injured on Wednesday alone.

The victims were aged from one year old to 81 years old, and besides the 70-year-old man, one other victim was in serious condition.

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