Hong Kong fire Updates: Hong Kong’s worst fire disaster in more than seven decades has taken a deadlier turn, with police confirming that the death toll has risen to 146, while nearly 150 people remain missing.
Officials said on Sunday that the full search of all burned buildings will take at least three to four weeks duw to the hazardous and unstable conditions inside the structures.
Thousands of residents continued to gather outside the blackened towers in Tai Po, offering white flowers, bowing in silence and leaving handwritten notes for the victims. The smell of smoke still lingered four days after the inferno swept through seven of the eight 32-storey buildings, all of which had been wrapped in bamboo scaffolding, green mesh, and polystyrene insulation for ongoing renovation work.
Calls For Accountability And Fear Of Crackdown
The blaze, which erupted on Wednesday afternoon, spread rapidly as flammable foam boards and protective netting caught fire, igniting windows and blowing flames between towers. More than 2,000 firefighters battled the flames for nearly 40 hours before finally bringing the situation under control.
Authorities say 44 bodies still need to be identified, and the number could rise as teams continue combing through debris. Search teams rescued only a few animals, three cats and a turtle over the weekend.
Public anger over ignored safety warnings and renovation irregularities is intensifying. Residents had reported concerns last year about the flammability of the mesh covering the scaffolding, but were told the buildings carried “relatively low fire risks”.
Authorities have so far arrested 11 individuals, including construction directors, engineering consultants, scaffolding subcontractors and renovation project managers. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has also detained eight additional suspects linked to alleged corruption in the building’s repair and maintenance works.
A university student, 24-year-old Miles Kwan, was detained after helping launch a petition demanding an independent inquiry into possible corruption and building oversight failures. The petition had gathered over 10,000 signatures before being taken down.
Government Orders City-wide Safety Audit
Beijing has issued strong warnings that the national security law would be used against anyone using the fire tragedy as a platform for political mobilisation.
The Hong Kong government has suspended 28 construction projects run by Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, citing “serious safety deficiencies”. A city-wide inspection of scaffolding, construction materials, fire alarms, and sprinkler systems has also been ordered.
For now, more than 4,600 displaced residents are living in shelters and hotels, awaiting long-term housing plans.
With inputs from agency.