On Friday, Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) announced the arrest of eight individuals linked to the catastrophic fire that claimed the lives of 128 people in a high-rise apartment complex. The group, consisting of seven men and one woman aged between 40 and 63, includes scaffolding subcontractors, directors from an engineering consulting firm, and project managers overseeing the renovation efforts. The ICAC conducted office searches on the same day, seizing pertinent documents and bank records as part of their investigation.
The investigation into potential corruption related to the renovation project commenced on Thursday, just after the devastating fire broke out. Rescue teams discovered dozens of additional bodies during a thorough search of the affected high-rise towers. Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of the Hong Kong Fire Services, reported that crews prioritized apartments that had received over 24 distress calls during the blaze, but were unable to reach them in time.
The death toll rose by 34 following the discovery of more bodies in the charred structures. Secretary for Security Chris Tang indicated that the search was ongoing and that the number of casualties could still increase. Alarmingly, 89 of the deceased remain unidentified, and approximately 200 individuals are still unaccounted for. Tang projected that the investigation could extend over three to four weeks.
Andy Yeung, director of the Hong Kong Fire Services, revealed that some fire alarms in the complex were malfunctioning, raising the prospect of legal repercussions. The fire ignited on Wednesday afternoon in one of the eight towers of the Wang Fuk Court complex, rapidly spreading due to bamboo scaffolding covered in flammable netting, engulfing seven buildings in flames. Firefighters worked tirelessly for around 24 hours to control the blaze, with smoke still emerging from the remains nearly two days later. The fire was not fully extinguished until Friday morning.
A total of 2,300 firefighters and medical personnel participated in the operation, with 79 individuals injured, including 12 firefighters. Tragically, one firefighter lost his life during the incident. The exact number of individuals remaining inside the complex, located in the Tai Po district near Hong Kong's border with mainland China, remains uncertain. The apartment complex, constructed in the 1980s, housed nearly 2,000 units and approximately 4,800 residents, with many elderly individuals among the occupants.
The ICAC revealed on Thursday that it was probing potential corruption related to the ongoing renovation project. Three men, who are directors and an engineering consultant from a construction company, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. Authorities suspect that company leaders exhibited gross negligence, although the specific company has not been publicly identified. However, the Associated Press confirmed that Prestige Construction & Engineering Company was responsible for the renovation at the tower complex. Police have confiscated documents from the company, which remained unresponsive to inquiries on Thursday.
Authorities are concerned that some materials used on the exterior walls of the high-rise buildings may not have met fire resistance standards, contributing to the unusually rapid spread of the fire. Additionally, police discovered that plastic foam panels, known for their high flammability, were affixed to windows near the elevator lobby of the one unaffected tower. Although it is believed that these panels were installed by the construction company, their purpose remains unclear.
In response to the tragedy, officials have announced immediate inspections of housing estates undergoing major renovations to ensure that scaffolding and construction materials comply with safety standards. This fire marks the deadliest incident in Hong Kong in decades, surpassing a 1996 commercial building fire that claimed 41 lives and a warehouse fire in 1948 that resulted in 176 fatalities, as reported by the South China Morning Post.