Hong Kong high-rise complex fire kills at least 128, blast ‘largely put out’
The death toll from Hong Kong’s most fatal fire in decades has risen to 128 after two days, with about 80 people injured and the blaze “largely put out,” local authorities said Friday, as rescue efforts continued throughout the smoldering high-rise residential complex.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang said authorities are not ruling out more bodies being found. Meanwhile, dozens of people are being treated in hospital.
The authorities said some 200 people were unaccounted for in Hong Kong’s deadliest fire since its 1997 handover to Chinese rule. A total of 89 bodies were yet to be identified, they added.
The blaze enveloped seven of the eight towers in the densely populated Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the northern Tai Po district.
Tang said while the cause is yet to be determined, the fire is believed to have originated on the exterior wall of one of the buildings and later spread to foam board used in a refurbishment project.
The complex, standing more than 30 stories tall, reportedly with around 2,000 apartments housing 4,000 people, was covered in bamboo scaffolding and green protective mesh for the ongoing refurbishment of its exterior walls.
The firefighting efforts faced immense difficulties, as the fire spread “exceptionally rapidly,” with collapsed scaffolding blocking entrances for emergency vehicles, Tang said. Flames at some of the apartments reignited due to high temperatures, he added.
Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung said an inspection revealed that alarm bells in all eight buildings did not sound. He said enforcement action would be taken.
Hong Kong police have arrested three men — directors and a consultant of a company undertaking the refurbishment project — on suspicion of manslaughter and gross negligence in connection with the fire.
The authorities said Friday they were inspecting 11 other private residential building projects involving the company.
Local media reported that the city’s Independent Commission Against Corruption also arrested a fourth man, who is a director of an engineering consulting firm.
As white smoke billowed from one of the buildings, black body bags were seen being carried out. When the fire weakened, rescue workers entered with stretchers to search for the victims.
Some people were evacuated to a nearby shopping center or slept outside. An elderly man who received winter clothes from volunteers expressed gratitude to them.
Some residents were sitting on stretchers as they waited to be taken to hospital, while several hearses were stationed to transport bodies.
Missing persons notices circulated on social media, including for infants, toddlers and the elderly, while relatives rushed to a nearby community hall where authorities released photos of the victims.
Some people traveled to a morgue in the Sha Tin district to identify the bodies of family members, local media reported.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said Thursday the government had established three task forces to investigate the cause and to provide accommodation and financial aid to the victims.
Hundreds have scrambled to deliver emergency supplies to victims, including toiletries, bedding, clothing and pet supplies, with conglomerates offering to donate over HK$500 million ($64 million) in total toward emergency relief and transitional living arrangements.
