A HONG KONG hospital was hit by a bomb attack today just a day after a coronavirus quarantine building was torched in an attack believed to have been carried out by anti-China separatists.

The explosive device was hidden in a toilet cubicle in the Caritas Medical Centre and went off at about 2.30am today.

“Staff at the accident & emergency department heard loud bangs in a public toilet and found that there was an explosion in one of the compartments,” a hospital spokesman said.

“We condemn the deliberate act which caused damage at the centre and threatened patients’ safety.”

Some 20 patients were evacuated. There were no reported injuries and full services were restored at the hospital’s emergency department later in the morning.

Hong Kong Police Chief Inspector Kevin Chong Kiu-Wai said: “After the explosion there was a lot of white smoke and a small fire” but he said the blast was “not very powerful.” The bomb had been placed in a bottle.

It was not clear who carried out the bombing, but it came a day after masked anti-government protesters torched a building that was to be used as a coronavirus quarantine centre.

On Sunday it was announced that eight people in Hong Kong had contracted the disease and officials declared a state of emergency. The authorities have been introducing measures to contain its spread.

A newly built but empty public building in the Fanling area was earmarked as a quarantine area for people who had been in contact with coronavirus patients but had yet to show any symptoms.

On Sunday masked protesters threw Molotov cocktails into the lobby of the building causing fire damage. The health authorities said the plan to use the building was suspended.