Hong Kong  -  A Hong Kong mother was arrested Saturday after her 6-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter climbed out of their 34th floor apartment and tried to shin down drainpipes to the ground.

Horrified residents saw the children on the outside of the high- rise block, having apparently decided to climb down because they were locked indoors while their mother slept.

Neighbours pulled the girl inside to safety when she reached the 28th floor while the boy was three floors lower down when he was pulled into an apartment, police said.

Both children were taken to hospital suffering only minor scratches after the incident in Hong Kong's low-income Tin Shui Wai district which has high levels of crime and social problems.

The mother, who admitted to police she had been asleep when her children climbed out of the flat, was arrested on suspicion of child neglect.

Tin Shui Wai was labelled the "City of Misery" two years ago by Hong Kong's director of social welfare Carrie Lam after a series of family tragedies in the district.

The tragedies included two high-profile cases in which fathers killed their wives and children before committing suicide, prompting calls for more social services resources for the area. (dpa)