US EditionFire Accountability Backlash Mounts, as Eight More arrested over Hong Kong Fire
The fire at Wang Fuk Court killed 146 people, with 8 arrested for manslaughter amid probes into unsafe renovation materials and alleged contractor negligence.
- On Wednesday, a fire began midafternoon at Wang Fuk Court public housing estate in Tai Po and quickly spread through seven towers, with authorities saying at least 128 people died.
- Residents of Wang Fuk Court had raised safety warnings in September 2024 about the flammability of protective green mesh on bamboo scaffolding, and preliminary investigators found the fire started on a lower-level scaffolding net and ignited polystyrene/foam panels.
- The Independent Commission Against Corruption said eight suspects, including an engineering consultant and scaffolding subcontractor, were arrested, and police seized documents, with Security Chief Chris Tang warning `more bodies could be discovered`.
- On Saturday, John Lee attended a memorial as flags were lowered, and the government announced a HK$300 million relief fund while suspending 28 projects managed by PC&E for safety audits.
- Beijing ordered a nationwide inspection of high-rise buildings, with the Ministry of Emergency Management targeting fire hydrants, sprinklers, alarms, and discussing replacing bamboo scaffolding with metal.
529 Articles
529 Articles
The death toll in the fire that broke out a few days ago in a social housing complex in Hong Kong, China, rose to 146 today as more bodies were found in the burned buildings.
Bodies were found in apartments, hallways, stairwells, and even on the roof.
Death Toll in Hong Kong Estate Fire Rises to 146
The death toll from a fire that tore through a Hong Kong residential estate this week has risen to 146, police said on Sunday, November 30th. Officers from the Disaster Victim Identification Unit recovered additional bodies as they expanded their search into three more high-rises at Wang Fuk Court, the site of the world’s deadliest residential building fire since 1980. At a news conference, Tsang Shuk-yin, Chief Superintendent of the police’s Ca…
The number of deaths has officially increased to at least 146. Around 40 more people are still missing.
Marietta Daily Journal
Hong Kong in mourning as fire death toll climbs to 146
Crowds of mourners gathered on Sunday across Hong Kong including thousands near the apartment blocks that were engulfed in flames earlier this week, killing at least 146 people in the city's deadliest fire in decades.
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