Death toll rises to 146 as thousands pay their respects

It is known that at least 146 people died in the devastating fire that destroyed many high-rise buildings in Hong Kong.

Police announced the death toll at a press conference on Sunday and warned that they “cannot rule out the possibility of more deaths.” Officials said 79 more people were injured and 150 people were missing.

Seven of eight tower blocks at a residential complex in the northern Tai Po district quickly went up in flames on Wednesday. Accusations that flammable materials helped fuel the fire on the exterior of the buildings have sparked anger and concern.

Thousands of people gathered at the Wang Fuk Court complex on Sunday to mourn the victims, with queues stretching almost 2km.

The death toll has been rising since the fire started as authorities try to find the bodies and identify them.

The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Eight people were arrested on suspicion of corruption related to the renovations made in the towers, while three other people were detained on charges of involuntary manslaughter.

The fire, which spread rapidly both upstairs and between the blocks, was only completely extinguished on Friday morning, requiring more than 2,000 firefighters to bring it under control.

That same day, police began entering buildings to collect evidence. Authorities say the investigation could take three to four weeks.

Police official Tsang Shuk-yin said on Sunday that officers had completed the search in four tower blocks so far.

Indonesia’s consulate in Hong Kong stated that at least seven of its citizens died in the fire, while the Philippine consulate reported that one of its citizens died.

It was stated that 37-year-old firefighter Ho Wai-ho was among the dead. He was found unconscious at the scene on Wednesday, about 30 minutes after contact with him was lost.

The fire department said the fire had a maximum temperature of 500C (932F). 12 firefighters who responded to the fire were injured.

Officials said the fire spread quickly through separate blocks due to the presence of plastic nets and other flammable materials outside the buildings.

The tower blocks were also covered with bamboo scaffolding, which is commonly used in construction and renovation work in Hong Kong. The fire sparked debate about whether it should still be used.

Some citizens said that they did not hear the fire alarm when the fire broke out. The Hong Kong fire department found that fire alarms in all eight blocks were not working effectively.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said executives of an engineering company and scaffolding subcontractors were among those arrested in the corruption investigation.

A police spokesman previously said they had reason to believe “those responsible at the company acted with gross negligence”, which led to the fire and allowed it to “spread uncontrollably”.

Hong Kong’s construction department has temporarily suspended work on 30 special projects.

Police reportedly detained a 24-year-old man on suspicion of rioting on Saturday. He was part of a group petitioning for an independent investigation into the fire.

The blaze, Hong Kong’s deadliest in more than 70 years, has been reported by regional authorities. declare three days of mourningIt started on Saturday.

Flags of China and Hong Kong were lowered to half-staff as officials observed a three-minute silence to mark the start of the term.

Thousands of people visit the scene to leave flowers, pray and give handwritten messages to the victims.

Indonesian worker Romlah Rosidah said she was “very surprised” to see so many people come to pray for the victims.

“This incident only spread on social media, but [it] It turned out that their hearts were moving,” he told the Reuters news agency.

A Filipino worker said they attended the prayers both out of solidarity and “to show the Hong Kong community that we are united in this situation.”

Wang Fuk Court was built in 1983 and provided 1,984 apartments for approximately 4,600 residents, according to the 2021 government census.

It is estimated that approximately 40% of residents are at least 65 years old. Some have been living in subsidized public housing since it was built.

Hong Kong’s second deadliest fire on record killed 176 people in 1948 and was caused by an explosion on the ground floor of a five-storey warehouse. The deadliest was the incident at Happy Valley Racetrack in 1918, when more than 600 people died.