In Hong Kong, firefighters discovered additional bodies during a thorough search of a high-rise complex following a massive fire that engulfed seven buildings. Authorities detained eight more individuals linked to the renovation of the towers, bringing the death toll from one of the city’s deadliest fires to 128, with several people still missing.
Officials revealed that some fire alarms in the complex, primarily inhabited by elderly residents, did not activate during testing. The fire rapidly spread from one building to another, fueled by bamboo scaffolding covered in netting and foam panels seemingly installed by a construction firm.
The eight individuals arrested on Friday, ranging from 40 to 63 years old, included scaffolding subcontractors, directors of an engineering consultant company, and project managers overseeing the renovation, as reported by the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Despite efforts to prioritize apartments that had issued emergency calls during the blaze, some units remained inaccessible during the uncontrolled fire, lasting nearly 24 hours. Smoke continued to emerge from the burnt buildings two days later, with around 200 individuals still unaccounted for, including 89 unidentified bodies.
Over 2,300 firefighters and medical staff participated in the operation, with 79 people injured, including 12 firefighters. The tragic incident also claimed the life of one firefighter. Among the deceased were two Indonesian migrant workers, with several others from Indonesia, working as domestic helpers, reported missing.
The apartment complex in Tai Po district, constructed in the 1980s and undergoing extensive renovations, housed close to 4,800 residents in nearly 2,000 units. The ongoing investigation suggested that materials on the building’s exterior walls did not meet fire resistance standards, contributing to the rapid spread of the fire.
As part of the mourning process, all official flags in the city will be lowered to half-mast, and a three-minute silence will be observed on Saturday led by the city’s leader, John Lee, at the government headquarters. Immediate inspections of housing complexes undergoing renovations are planned to ensure compliance with safety standards.
