The death toll from a devastating fire that ripped through a Hong Kong apartment complex has climbed to 146, with authorities confirming more bodies have been recovered from the charred residential towers.
Search Operations Continue Amid Difficult Conditions
Investigators are continuing their grim search through the residential towers of Wang Fuk Court, where the blaze first erupted on Wednesday. Shuk-yin Tsang, head of the Hong Kong police casualty unit, revealed that another 100 people remain unaccounted for, while 79 individuals suffered injuries in the incident.
The fire spread rapidly through seven of the eight towers in the complex, with firefighters struggling to fully extinguish the flames until Friday. Police have completed searches through four of the affected buildings, but a city official warned that the entire search process could take three to four weeks to complete.
Cheng Ka-chun, the police officer leading the search operation, described the challenging conditions inside the burned structures. "It is so dark inside, and because of the low light, it is very difficult to do the work, especially in places away from the windows," he explained. Bodies have been discovered both in apartments and on the roofs of the damaged buildings.
Renovation Materials Under Scrutiny
The tragedy has raised serious questions about building safety practices, as the towers had been undergoing renovations when the fire broke out. The buildings were clad in bamboo scaffolding draped with nylon netting, with windows covered by polystyrene panels - materials that residents had repeatedly warned could be highly flammable.
According to local residents, they had expressed concerns about the potential fire risks posed by these materials but were allegedly told by authorities that the buildings faced "relatively low fire risks." The extensive use of these combustible materials during renovation work is now a key focus of the investigation.
Public Outpouring and Demands for Justice
On Sunday, over 1,000 mourners gathered to pay tribute to the victims of what has become Hong Kong's deadliest fire in more than 75 years. The queue of people waiting to lay flowers stretched for more than a kilometre, with many leaving handwritten notes addressed to those lost in the tragedy.
Among the mourners was Joey Yeung, 28, whose grandmother's apartment was destroyed in the blaze. "I can't accept it," she said. "So today I came with my father and my family to lay flowers. I'm not asking to get anything back but at least give some justice to the families of the deceased - to those who are still alive."
Another mourner, Lian Shuzheng, reflected on the broader implications of the disaster: "This really serves as a wake-up call for everyone, especially with these super high-rise buildings."
Safety Investigations and Arrests
Authorities have launched a comprehensive investigation into whether fire safety codes were violated, amid growing public anger over the preventable nature of the tragedy. The fire has exposed what officials describe as "serious deficiencies" in safety practices at construction sites.
In response to the disaster, city officials have suspended 28 building projects undertaken by Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, the contractor responsible for renovating Wang Fuk Court. The suspension notice specifically highlighted concerns about "the extensive use of foam boards to block up windows during building repairs."
The day after the fire broke out, police arrested two directors and an engineering consultant from a construction firm on suspicion of manslaughter. While police didn't identify the company by name, they indicated suspicion of gross negligence by the firm's leadership. The three men were initially released on bail but were subsequently rearrested by Hong Kong's anti-corruption authorities, who made eight additional arrests in connection with the case.
Public demand for accountability has grown substantially, with an online petition calling for an independent probe into possible corruption and construction oversight deficiencies drawing over 10,000 signatures before closing. Another similar petition attracted more than 2,700 signatures demanding "explicit accountability" from government authorities.
Beijing has issued warnings that it will use national security laws to crack down on any protests related to the fire that it deems "anti-China" in nature, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing public response to the tragedy.
