By: The Trek News Desk
Hong Kong has begun a three-day official mourning period following the city’s deadliest fire in nearly 80 years.
On Saturday morning, senior officials gathered outside government headquarters to observe three minutes of silence for the victims. Flags of China and Hong Kong were lowered to half-mast as a mark of respect.
The blaze, which erupted on Wednesday, swept through seven residential towers, leaving 128 people confirmed dead, 79 injured, and several others still unaccounted for.
Renovation Work Under Scrutiny; Multiple Arrests
Amid rising public anger, authorities have arrested eight individuals on corruption suspicions, all of whom were linked to the renovation project underway at the buildings.
Earlier, three others had been detained on charges of manslaughter.
Preliminary findings suggest that flammable materials, including polystyrene sheets and plastic netting attached to the exterior, accelerated the fire’s spread both vertically and between the towers.
2,000 Firefighters Battled Flames for Nearly Two Days
The fire broke out in Wang Fuk Court, a large residential complex in the suburban district of Tai Po.
Flames engulfed seven of the estate’s eight towers, forcing more than 2,000 firefighters to work around the clock. It took almost 48 hours to bring the blaze under control.
The buildings were covered in bamboo scaffolding, a traditional construction material widely used across Hong Kong. The incident has sparked a renewed debate over whether such scaffolding remains safe for modern, high-rise renovation work.
Investigation Begins, Residents Voice Anger
Officials have confirmed that a full investigation will unfold over the coming weeks, with police actively collecting evidence from the site.
But frustration is growing among residents, many of whom reported malfunctioning fire alarms and alleged negligence by the company carrying out renovation work.
Hong Kong’s fire service later acknowledged that alarm systems in all eight towers were not functioning properly at the time of the incident.
Corruption Inquiry Targets Engineering Firm and Contractors
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said those arrested on Friday include:
- Directors of an engineering firm
- Scaffolding subcontractors
Hong Kong’s Labour and Welfare Secretary, Chris Sun, revealed that authorities had conducted 16 inspections at Wang Fuk Court since July of last year.
An Ageing Estate Housing Thousands
Completed in 1983, Wang Fuk Court includes 1,984 apartments and was home to nearly 4,600 residents, according to a 2021 government census.
The disaster, considered one of the most tragic in Hong Kong’s modern history, has triggered intense debate over building safety standards, regulatory oversight, and accountability in one of the world’s most densely populated cities.
Source: News Agencies
