Hong Kong Police Suspect Link in Prostitute Murders

Four women who worked as prostitutes have been killed in Hong Kong over three days in crimes that may be linked, police said today.

The bodies of the four women, aged 27 - 35, were found in apartments in the suburban New Territories and in a residential district on Hong Kong island on Saturday and today, police said.

One woman was strangled with a shower hose and the apartment she was found in had been burgled, police said.

Another woman was found with a swollen forehead and injured jaw. The other two women did not have obvious external wounds but were apparently robbed.

Police spokeswoman Odelia Tam said no arrests had been made and that it was unclear whether the same person or persons might have been involved in all the deaths.

But an official investigating the deaths, speaking before news of the fourth murder broke, said police were considering the possibility that one person or several committed all the killings.

"These three crimes are very similar, having been committed within a short period," said officer Steve Li.

He said the motive was unclear because the crimes involved both killing and robbery.