The devastation in Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighborhood has deepened as officials confirmed on Friday that the death toll from the apartment complex inferno has risen to 128, with as many as 200 people still missing. As rescue teams continue to search the charred remains of the public housing estate, authorities have launched a sweeping criminal crackdown, announcing eight new arrests connected to the maintenance and safety failures that turned the building into a deathtrap.
The blaze, which engulfed the Wang Fuk Court complex on Wednesday, is now being described as the territory’s worst fire in decades. While families wait in desperation for news of their loved ones, the focus of the investigation has shifted to a series of catastrophic safety failures. Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung revealed a damning discovery during post-fire inspections, noting that fire alarms in all eight buildings of the complex were not functional. While it remains unclear if the system was completely offline on the day of the fire, surviving residents have stated that no alarms rang as the smoke began to fill the corridors. Yeung vowed that law enforcement action would be taken regarding this critical failure.
The city’s anti-corruption body has moved quickly, arresting eight individuals on Friday as part of the widening probe. The suspects include high-level figures such as two directors of a consultancy firm advising on the complex's maintenance, two project managers responsible for supervision, three scaffolding subcontractors, and an intermediary. These arrests come just days after three men working for a construction company were detained on suspicion of manslaughter by way of gross negligence. Those three suspects, including two company directors, have since been granted bail and are required to report to the police in early December.
Investigators believe the disaster was exacerbated by ongoing renovations that had wrapped the towers in bamboo scaffolding and green protective mesh. According to Secretary for Security Chris Tang, the fire likely started on the lower floors of Wang Cheong House before igniting the mesh nets. The flames quickly spread to flammable polystyrene boards that were blocking windows, acting as a fuel source that carried the fire up the exterior of the building. The intense heat caused windows to shatter, allowing the flames to breach the interior on multiple floors simultaneously. Inside, conditions were hellish, with temperatures soaring above 500 degrees Celsius (930 degrees Fahrenheit).
Adding to the controversy, it was revealed that the Labor Department had conducted sixteen inspections of the maintenance works since last year, with the most recent taking place less than a week before the disaster. That specific inspection was triggered by a complaint about workers smoking on site, resulting in a written reminder to the contractor to strengthen fire-prevention measures—a warning that seemingly came too late.
In the wake of the tragedy, the government has announced financial aid for the victims. Families of the deceased will receive HK$200,000 (approximately $25,700 USD), while affected households will be granted a living allowance. Special arrangements are also being made to assist and repatriate the remains of foreign domestic helpers who perished in the blaze, as many were contractually obligated to live in the residences with their employers. As the city mourns, the police investigation into how a single tower fire spiraled into a multi-building catastrophe is expected to take weeks to complete.
0 Comments