Death toll rises to 75 in Hong Kong residential building fire
The death toll from the Hong Kong residential building fire surged to 75, the Fire Services Department confirmed Thursday, Xinhua reports.
Firefighters are battling for a second day against one of Hong Kong’s deadliest modern fires, which engulfed multiple high-rise towers at Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po in the New Territories region.
Police arrested two directors and an engineering consultant from Prestige Construction & Engineering Company. “We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” Senior Superintendent Eileen Chung stated. Authorities searched the company’s office and seized documents as evidence.
Investigators suspect non-compliant materials contributed to the fire’s rapid spread. Police found highly flammable polystyrene foam attached to windows in the unaffected tower. The blaze originated on scaffolding outside a 32-storey building before spreading via bamboo scaffolding and construction netting, accelerated by windy conditions.
The 1980s housing complex, home to approximately 4,800 residents, including many elderly, was undergoing major renovations. About 900 people were evacuated to temporary shelters.
Hong Kong leader John Lee announced immediate safety inspections of all housing estates undergoing renovations. Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences and called for efforts to minimise casualties.
This incident marks Hong Kong’s deadliest fire since the 1996 Kowloon commercial building blaze that killed 41 people.
As Qazinform previously reported, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sent condolences to the President of China, Xi Jinping.
On Wednesday, the blaze erupted at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in the Tai Po district in Hong Kong.