Homeless woman found dead in McDonald’s 24 hours after sitting down – while people ate around her

The woman is believed to have been a street-sleeper who spent many nights in the restaurant

The woman was found in a branch of McDonald's in Hong Kong (Reuters)

A homeless woman has been found dead in a McDonald’s restaurant in Hong Kong 24 hours after she entered the restaurant – and after countless customers had sat and eaten around her.

The South China Morning Post reports the woman was found slumped over a table near the bathroom of the McDonald’s on the Ping Shek Estate, Kowloon Bay, on Saturday morning.

A McDonald’s employee had reportedly called police after finding the woman at around 8:30am, unconscious and cold.

CCTV footage showed the woman had first entered the restaurant at 8:39am the previous day and sat at the table until she suddenly slumped over at 1:20am, remaining in that position until the employee discovered her the next morning.

Welfare groups expressed concern over the lack of support available for those in the woman's situation. She is believed to have been a street-sleeper who spent many nights in the 24-hour restaurant.

Police said they are not treating the death as suspicious. The area where the body was found was cordoned off for investigation and disinfected after the body was removed, before being re-opened to customers.

A spokesperson for McDonald’s told the South China Morning Post the company expressed its grief over the incident, adding that staff had noticed the woman moving.

"To complement the modern lifestyle of people in Hong Kong, some McDonald's operate 24 hours a day," the spokesperson said.

"We welcome everyone to visit our restaurants any time. In order to provide a pleasant dining environment, we would not disturb our customers, but our service will be offered promptly on request"