Thirteen people have been arrested for suspected manslaughter after Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, officials have said.
At a press conference about the tragedy at Wang Fuk Court, police said 151 people had now died as a result of the blaze – Hong Kong’s worst since 1948 – and that more than 40 are still missing.
An emotional Tsung Shuk Yin, a police official, told reporters on Monday: “Some of the bodies have turned into ash, therefore, we might not be able to locate all missing individuals.”
The fire last week engulfed multiple high rise blocks of flats. Officials overseeing investigations said that tests on several samples of a green mesh that was wrapped around bamboo scaffolding on the buildings at the time of the blaze did not match fire-retardant standards.
Chief secretary Eric Chan told reporters that contractors working on the renovations used substandard materials in hard-to-reach areas, effectively hiding them from inspectors.
The officials said that foam insulation used by contractors also fanned the flames, and fire alarms at the complex were not working properly.
Sky News had previously learnt that residents raised their fears over fire safety connected to extensive renovations on Wang Fuk Court as early as September 2024.
Read more: Hong Kong mourns those lost to fire
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Labour Department acknowledges reply ‘was unclear’
In a statement to Sky News, Hong Kong’s Labour Department acknowledged that, in reply to these complaints, it told residents the mesh was designed to limit objects falling from the scaffolding and that “current safety regulations applied to construction sites by the Labour Department do not cover flame-retardant standards for scaffolding netting or any materials”.
They now acknowledge this reply to residents “was unclear and caused misunderstanding”.
The Labour Department also told residents they judged the risk of a fire on the scaffolding was “relatively low”, because the works did not include activities such as welding.
In its statement to Sky News, the Labour Department says this did not mean the risk was negligible, and also noted contractors had been reminded to “implement fire prevention measures.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The blaze broke out at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the city’s Tai Po district on Wednesday.
Records show the site consists of eight blocks, with almost 2,000 apartments housing around 4,800 residents, including many elderly people.
It was built in the 1980s and has recently been undergoing a major renovation.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 people turned out to pay tribute to the victims of the fire, queuing for more than a kilometre to lay flowers, some with sticky notes attached addressed to the victims.
Man calling for probe detained
Meanwhile, it emerged that police detained Miles Kwan, 24, who was part of a group that launched a petition demanding an independent probe into possible corruption and a review of construction oversight.
An online petition demanding an independent probe into possible corruption and a review of construction oversight drew over 10,000 signatures before it was closed.
Another petition with similar demands attracted more than 2,700 signatures with its plea for “explicit accountability” from the government.
Read more from Sky News:
Dignitas founder dies by assisted suicide aged 92
Death toll climbs from floods across south of Asia
Venezuela hits out at US ‘colonial threat’
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Two people familiar with the matter told Reuters that Kwan was detained on Saturday. The news outlet could not establish whether he had been arrested.
He was pictured leaving a police station in a taxi on Monday afternoon.
Police did not comment on the case, and Hong Kong Security Chief Chris Tang also declined to comment on specific operations at a press conference on Monday.
He added: “I’ve noticed that some people with malicious intent, aiming to harm Hong Kong and national security, have taken advantage of this painful moment for society.
“Therefore, we must take appropriate action, including enforcement measures.”
