The death toll from a massive fire at a Hong Kong apartment complex rose to 65 on Thursday, with more than 250 still missing, as police said the fire may have been caused by a “grossly negligent” construction company that used unsafe materials.
Nearly a day after the fire started, firefighters were struggling to reach residents potentially trapped on the upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex due to the intense heat and thick smoke from the fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon.
The Hong Kong government said the death toll from the fire had risen to 65.
The fire had “claimed 65 lives and injured 70 people” by 8:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. PKT), a government spokesman said. AFPCiting fire department figures, he added that 10 firefighters have been injured since the fire started yesterday.
The densely populated complex in the northern district of Tai Po has 2,000 apartments in eight blocks housing more than 4,600 people in a city struggling with a chronic shortage of affordable housing.
“We buy [a place] in this building for more than 20 years. All our belongings were in this building, and now that everything has burned down like this, what’s left? asked a 51-year-old resident surnamed Wan.
“There’s nothing left. What are we supposed to do?”
A firefighter was among the dead and dozens were hospitalized in critical condition, Hong Kong authorities said Thursday afternoon. Around 279 people remain inaccessible.
Among the dead was a 37-year-old firefighter, who was found with burns on his face half an hour after losing contact with his colleagues, according to fire service director Andy Yeung.
Hours earlier, a government spokesman said AFP that 56 people were being treated in the hospital. Sixteen were in critical condition, 24 in serious condition and 16 stable.
Eileen Chung, Hong Kong police superintendent, said 900 residents were spread across eight shelters.
The fire was still burning in the afternoon, more than 24 hours after it started.
Sections of charred scaffolding fell from the burning blocks, and flames could be seen inside apartments, sometimes bursting through windows into the night sky, casting an eerie orange glow on surrounding buildings. A AFP The journalist heard loud crackling sounds, possibly coming from burning bamboo.
A 65-year-old resident surnamed Yuen said he had lived in the complex for more than four decades and that many of his neighbors were elderly and may not be able to move.
“The windows were closed for maintenance, [some people] I didn’t know there was a fire and the neighbors had to tell them to evacuate through phone calls,” Yuen said. AFP. “I’m devastated.”
A woman surnamed Ng, 52, was distraught as she searched for her daughter outside a shelter. “She and her father haven’t left yet. They didn’t have water to save our building,” she sobbed, carrying her daughter’s graduation photo.
Authorities said they had controlled the fire in four of the seven blocks and that operations continued in three. Bamboo scaffolding is a mainstay of traditional Chinese architecture, but has been subject to phasing out in Hong Kong since March for safety reasons.
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Three arrested
Police officers searched the estate’s building maintenance company on Thursday morning and confiscated documents mentioning the Wang Fuk Court, local media reported. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We have reason to believe that those responsible for the company acted with gross negligence, which caused this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, causing numerous victims,” said Police Superintendent Chung.
Three men from the construction company, two directors and an engineering consultant, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over the fire, he added.
Police said that in addition to the buildings being covered with protective mesh and plastic sheets that may not meet fire standards, they discovered that some windows in an unaffected building were sealed with a foam material, installed by a construction company that had been doing maintenance work for a year.
Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that two Indonesian migrant workers “in the domestic sector” died in the fire and two others were injured.
The death toll is now the highest in a Hong Kong fire since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse fire. Hong Kong’s anti-graft body said it has launched an investigation into suspected corruption related to the renovation.
China’s Xi urges ‘all-out’ firefighting efforts
From the mainland, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged an “all-out effort” to extinguish the fire and minimize casualties and losses, Chinese state broadcaster reported. closed circuit television saying.
Xi expressed his condolences to the victims, including “the firefighter who died in the line of duty,” according to state media.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and property.
“We express our deepest condolences to President Xi Jinping and the Chinese nation, particularly the people of Hong Kong, over this tragic incident,” he said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families and we wish a speedy recovery to all those injured,” he said.
“Pakistan stands in solidarity with the people and government of China, especially the Hong Kong SAR (special administrative region), during this difficult time. May the affected families find strength and healing. Pakistan and China will always be together,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also said he was deeply saddened to learn of the “devastating fire.”
“On behalf of the government and people of Pakistan, I express our deepest condolences and condolences to you, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and especially to the families of the victims. Our thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones and we pray for the speedy and complete recovery of the injured,” he said.
Looking for relatives
Harry Cheung, 66, who has lived in Block Two of one of the complexes for more than 40 years, said he heard a loud noise at around 2:45 pm (11:45 am PKT) and saw a fire break out in a nearby block.
“I immediately went back to packing my things,” he said. “I don’t even know how I feel right now. I’m just thinking about where I’m going to sleep tonight.”
Another longtime resident, a woman surnamed Chu, said she had not yet been able to contact her friends who live on the next block. After staying the night at a friend’s house Wednesday night, the 70-year-old woman returned to see her house still in flames.
“We don’t know what to do,” he said.
An online application displayed missing person reports submitted through a linked Google document detailing residents of individual towers and rooms.
It includes descriptions such as “Mother-in-law, about 70 years old, missing,” or “a boy and a girl,” or “Rooftop: 33-year-old man.” One description simply says “Floor 27, Room 1: He’s dead.”
Reuters was unable to independently verify the information in the application.
The fire has drawn comparisons to the Grenfell Tower inferno that killed 72 people in London in 2017. That fire was blamed on companies putting up flammable cladding on the exterior, as well as failures by the government and the construction industry.
“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the horrific fire in Hong Kong,” survivors group Grenfell United said on social media. “To families, friends and communities, we are with you. You are not alone.”
A Tai Po resident surnamed So, 57, said the fire was “heartbreaking”.
“Nothing can be done about the property. We can only hope that everyone, no matter old or young, can return safely,” So said. AFP.
An apartment owner in his 40s who did not want to give his name told it AFP that the government needed to help those left homeless by the fire.
“The fire is still not under control and I don’t dare leave, and I don’t know what I can do,” he said.
Residents were seen being evacuated in large buses, and local media reported that adjacent blocks were also being cleared. Firefighters also closed sections of a nearby highway.
Hong Kong’s sky-high property prices have long been a trigger for social unrest in the city and the fire tragedy could further stoke resentment toward authorities ahead of citywide legislative elections in early December.
Deadly fires were once a common scourge in Hong Kong, especially in poorer neighborhoods. However, in recent decades safety measures have been intensified and these fires have become much less common.
Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with about 300,000 residents.
Occupied since 1983, the complex is under the government’s subsidized homeownership scheme, according to estate agency websites. According to online posts, it has been under renovation for a year at a cost of HK$330 million ($42.43 million), with each unit paid between HK$160,000 and HK$180,000.
