Hong Kong fire death toll hits 128, status of 200 unclear; ICAC arrests 6 more
Some 89 bodies ‘cannot be identified’, authorities say, while confirming styrofoam on windows caused heated panes to shatter and spread blaze
What we know so far:
- 128 people, including a firefighter, confirmed dead
- 79 injured, including 12 firefighters
- Status of 200 people unclear
- More bodies are retrieved from fire scene wrapped in black bags
- Rescue work is ongoing, with a woman, an elderly man and pets evacuated
- The eight residential blocks in the estate had been undergoing renovations since July 2024, covered in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh
- Authorities say highly flammable styrofoam material used in renovation works caused fire to spread rapidly
- Government has launched criminal investigations to find cause of blaze
- Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) arrests eight people
- Three senior staff members of renovation company Prestige Construction & Engineering Co Limited earlier arrested for alleged manslaughter
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption body, the ICAC, has arrested two directors of Will Power Architects Company, the consultant firm in charge of the renovation project at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, bringing the number of arrests to five over the fire that has claimed 128 lives as of Friday afternoon.
John Lee Ka-chiu earlier ordered inspections of all public housing estates undergoing major renovations, with authorities launching a criminal investigation into the city’s deadliest conflagration in seven decades.
Rescue work continues as raging flames in all blocks have been brought under control in Wang Fuk Court. Some 56 people remain in hospital.
According to a preliminary investigation, officers discovered highly flammable styrofoam cloaking lift windows on every floor, which authorities said caused the fire to spread more rapidly within the blocks and ignite flats through the corridors. The mesh netting and sheeting used outside the buildings also did not meet fire safety standards, officials said on Wednesday night.
Three senior staff members of Prestige Construction & Engineering Co Limited, including two directors, were arrested for alleged manslaughter on Thursday. The renovation company allegedly used non-compliant materials in scaffolding nets and sealed windows with styrofoam, which sparked the tragedy as the highly flammable substances caused the fire to spread rapidly.