Newsletters
China is observing three days of mourning for those who died in the Tai Po district fire in Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Estate, where eight residential blocks were affected, according to reports in national media.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and local government officials held a three-minute moment of silence on Saturday morning, while the flags of China and Hong Kong were lowered to half-mast.
To honor the victims, condolence books were opened in all 18 districts of Hong Kong for residents to express their feelings and offer sympathies throughout the day.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Hong Kong office, along with the People’s Liberation Army’s barracks and facilities, also held commemorative ceremonies.
Authorities reported Friday that 128 people, including one firefighter, lost their lives in the blaze.
Another 79 people were injured, 11 of whom were firefighters.
Firefighting efforts continued for nearly two days at the estate, which is believed to house around 4,000 residents.
As search and rescue operations remain underway, the status of 200 people, including those whose remains have not been identified and those reported missing, remains uncertain.
The fire began around midday on Nov. 26 at Wang Fuk Estate, which contains more than 1,900 apartments.
It spread rapidly after bamboo scaffolding and combustible exterior insulation materials ignited, accelerating the blaze across building facades.
Hong Kong uses a five-tier emergency rating system for fires.
The Tai Po incident prompted a level-5 alarm, the highest classification, for the first time in 17 years.
The blaze has been recorded as the deadliest fire in Hong Kong in the past 70 years.
Police detained three individuals, two managers from the construction company responsible for renovation work at the estate and a consultant engineer, on suspicion of “causing death by negligence.”
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) separately detained 11 people in a corruption probe regarding irregularities in the renovation project.
3 min read
