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Hong Kong's 20-square-foot 'coffin homes' reveal the terrifying scope of a housing crisis

Chris WellerJun 5, 2017, 22:00 IST

Damir Sagolj/Reuters

As housing prices continue to soar in Hong Kong, some residents are taking anything they can get - even if that means living in a so-called "coffin home."

At least 200,000 people live in these homes, which measure just 4'x6' and sit stacked one top of the other in cramped apartment buildings. Ladders line the halls to help people get into the upper-level units. The starting rent is around $180 a month.

Hong Kong's chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, has called this housing crisis "the gravest potential hazard" to society, as only 7% of the city's land is zoned for housing.

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