Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in nearly 80 years has claimed 128 lives, with about 200 people still unaccounted for in the high-rise Wang Fuk Court complex, authorities said Friday.
The blaze tore through the eight 32-story towers in Tai Po’s northern district Wednesday afternoon, spreading rapidly and overwhelming residents.
“We do not rule out the possibility of finding more bodies as police conduct detailed investigations inside the building,” Hong Kong Security Chief Chris Tang said at a press conference. He added that only 39 of the 128 victims have been formally identified.
Tang also said fire alarms in the complex were not functioning properly at the time of the fire.
Rescue operations have concluded, with at least 79 people injured, including 12 firefighters.
“Our aim now is to make sure the temperature decreases in the building, and once everything is deemed safe, police will collect evidence and conduct further investigations,” Tang said.
The estate, housing more than 4,600 people, had been wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh for renovation work.
Police said they had arrested three construction company officials on suspicion of manslaughter for using unsafe materials, including flammable foam boards that blocked windows.
Residents were told last year by authorities that they faced “relatively low fire risks” after repeatedly complaining about hazards posed by ongoing renovation work, the city’s Labor Department told Reuters.
Concerns were raised in September 2024 over the renovations, including the potential flammability of the protective green mesh contractors used to cover the bamboo scaffolding, a department spokesperson said in an email.
While firefighters contained the blaze Friday and doused the still-smoldering towers, families were left with the grim task of reviewing photographs of the deceased taken by rescue workers.
Mirra Wong, whose parents lived in Wang Fuk Court, was looking for news of her father.
“Just recognize some picture is maybe the body of my dad. My dad’s body is still missing here,” said Wong, 48.
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said a friend’s wife was among the unaccounted for.
“Rationally speaking, it means there’s no hope,” she said. “But the bodies still have to be found, right? Let me see if they’ve found them ... It’s just too sorrowful. When it involves people you know, it’s even more painful.”
Dozens of domestic workers from the Philippines were caught in the disaster, and 19 remained missing, Edwina Antonio, executive director at migrant women’s refuge association Bethune House, said.
Indonesia’s consulate said two of the dead were nationals also working as domestic helpers. Hong Kong has around 368,000 domestic workers, mostly women from low-income Asian countries who live with their employers.
The fire is Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze, and has drawn comparisons to London’s Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people in 2017.
Police arrested two directors and an engineering consultant of Prestige Construction, the firm identified by the government as doing maintenance on Wang Fuk Court for more than a year.
“We have reason to believe that the company’s responsible parties were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties,” Police Superintendent Eileen Chung said Thursday.
Prestige did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Police seized bidding documents, a list of employees, 14 computers, and three mobile phones in a raid of the company’s office, the government said.
The city’s Development Bureau has discussed gradually replacing bamboo scaffolding with metal scaffolding as a safety measure.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said the government would set up a HK$300 million ($39 million) fund to help residents, while some of China’s largest listed companies announced donations.
On the second night after the blaze, dozens of evacuees set up mattresses in a nearby mall, saying official evacuation centers should be reserved for those in greater need.
People – from elderly residents to schoolchildren – wrapped themselves in duvets and huddled in tents outside a McDonald’s restaurant and convenience stores as volunteers handed out snacks and toiletries.
“We don’t know when we can go home. We have to wait for the police to notify us,” said an elderly man preparing to sleep in the mall.
“Wang Fuk Court is burning badly. We are afraid that it is dangerous to go home ... I am anxious. I cannot sleep well here,” said the man, who gave his name only as Cui.
Hong Kong, one of the world’s most densely populated cities, is dotted with high-rise housing complexes.
Sky-high property prices have long fueled discontent, and analysts say the tragedy could stoke resentment toward authorities despite efforts to tighten political and national security control.
The leadership of both the Hong Kong government and Chinese Communist Party moved quickly to show they attached utmost importance to a tragedy seen as a potential test of Beijing’s grip on the semi-autonomous region.
