NewsHong Kong mourns victims of blaze as search for remains continuesAt least 128 people died and 150 remain missing after the towers housing 4,600 people were engulfed by flames.
People in Hong Kong are mourning the deaths of at least 128 people who died in the region’s largest blaze in decades in an eight-apartment residential complex.
People in Hong Kong are mourning the deaths of at least 128 people who died in the region’s largest blaze in decades in an eight-apartment residential complex.
The flags outside the central government offices were lowered to half-mast on Saturday as Hong Kong leader John Lee, other officials and civil servants, all dressed in black, gathered to pay their respects to those lost at the Wang Fuk Court estate since the fire on Wednesday.
Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Belarus president becomes only second leader to visit Myanmar since couplist 2 of 3Son of jailed Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’ to plead guilty in US courtlist 3 of 3S African ex-leader Zuma’s daughter quits parliament amid Russia war claimsend of list Condolence books have been set up at 18 points around the former British colony for the public to pay their respects, officials said.
At the site of the residential complex, families and mourners gathered to lay flowers.
By Friday, only 39 of the victims had been identified, leaving families with the morbid task of looking at the photographs of the deceased taken by rescue workers.
Police revised down the number of people unaccounted for to 150 from 200 on Saturday, after confirming with some relatives that they had managed to reconnect with loved ones they initially reported as missing.
Authorities declared the end of the search for survivors on Friday, but identification work and search for remains continues, as Lee said the government is setting up a fund with 300 million Hong Kong dollars ($39m) in capital to help the residents.
People in Hong Kong are mourning the deaths of at least 128 people who died in the region’s largest blaze in decades in an eight-apartment residential complex.
The local community is also pitching in, with hundreds of volunteers mobilising to help the victims, including by distributing food and other essential items. Some of China’s biggest companies have pledged donations as well.
Advertisement The Wang Fuk Court fire marks Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze.
Officers from the Disaster Victim Identification Unit gather by the Wang Fuk Court estate [AFP] At least 11 people have been arrested in connection with the tragedy, according to local authorities.
They include two directors and an engineering consultant of the firm identified by the government as doing maintenance on the towers for more than a year, who are accused of manslaughter for using unsafe materials.
The towers, located in the northern district of Tai Po, were undergoing renovations, with the highly flammable bamboo scaffolding and green mesh used to cover the building believed to be a major facilitator of the quick spread of the blaze.
Most of the victims were found in two towers in the complex, with seven of the eight towers suffering extensive damage, including from flammable foam boards used by the maintenance company to seal and protect windows.
The deadly incident has prompted comparisons with the blaze at the Grenfell Tower in London that killed 72 people in 2017, with the fire blamed on flammable cladding on the tower’s exterior, as well as on failings by the government and the construction industry.
“Our hearts go out to all those affected by the horrific fire in Hong Kong,” the Grenfell United survivors’ group said in a short statement on social media.
“To the families, friends and communities, we stand with you. You are not alone.”
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.
