Tributes pour in as Hong Kong mourns death of Tung Chee-hwa, first chief executive

Tung Chee-hwa, the first chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and former vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, died of an illness in Hong Kong on Tuesday at the age of 89. According to a statement from his office, he passed away at 9:57 p.m., surrounded by his loved ones.

Tung played a pivotal historical role by overseeing Hong Kong's 1997 return to Chinese rule. Following his death, tributes poured in from across the region as Hong Kong mourned the loss of its inaugural leader.