Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee has pledged a full and independent investigation into the devastating residential fire that killed 151 people last week, as authorities intensify scrutiny on construction companies accused of using substandard materials that fueled the blaze.
The fire, which tore through seven high-rise towers of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex and burned for nearly two days, has become the city’s deadliest in decades. Fourteen people have been arrested so far, with officials warning that more detentions are likely.
Most of those held are contractors, consultants and subcontractors linked to the renovation works underway at the complex, where more than 4,000 residents, many of them elderly, lived.
Lee said Tuesday that a judge-led independent committee would determine “why the fire started and how it spread so fast,” adding that systemic reforms would follow. “No matter who is involved, we will get to the bottom of it,” he said. “Justice must be served.”
Authorities say the rapid spread of the inferno was driven in part by non-compliant mesh netting wrapped around bamboo scaffolding. Seven of 20 samples taken from the site failed fire safety tests, according to Security Secretary Chris Tang.
A corruption probe has been opened into 12 of the suspects, with investigators alleging that contractors knowingly purchased cheaper, unsafe netting after a typhoon damaged original scaffolding in July.
Corruption commissioner Woo Ying-ming said the group bought enough non-compliant netting to cover all eight towers and, fearing scrutiny after another high-rise fire in October, later applied safer material only to the lower floors to give the appearance of compliance.
“The suspects are very cunning,” Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki said. “For very little profit, they took many lives.”
Officials have also identified the use of flammable polystyrene boards to block windows as a factor that worsened the blaze. Inspections are now underway at 300 other sites using similar netting and at three construction areas where the same window-blocking technique was found.
Meanwhile, a massive search-and-recovery operation continues. About 600 disaster victim identification specialists have been combing through the charred towers in near-total darkness, encountering collapsed corridors and ash-filled rooms.
Specialist police search the apartments in Wang Fuk Court complex on Sunday Hong Kong Police (reuters)
Some remains, police say, may never be recovered. Victims include elderly residents, construction workers, a firefighter and 10 foreign domestic workers, nine from Indonesia and one from the Philippines.
On Sunday, hundreds of Hong Kong residents queued for more than a kilometer to lay flowers and leave messages of condolence in Tai Po.
Donations from the public and businesses have surpassed 900 million Hong Kong dollars (about $115 million), with community groups delivering food and supplies to survivors.
But the community response has also drawn the attention of national security authorities. Beijing’s security office in Hong Kong warned against attempts to use the tragedy to “oppose China and stir chaos,” echoing concerns about renewed dissent reminiscent of 2019’s mass protests.
Police have arrested three people on suspicion of incitement, including one accused of distributing material supporting an online petition, now removed, that had garnered over 10,000 signatures calling for an independent inquiry.
Lee said authorities would not tolerate the “exploitation of tragedy,” and officials have since asked volunteers to leave the scene, centralizing relief distribution through a registration system.
As investigators sift through debris and political tensions rise, the city remains in mourning, grappling with both the scale of loss and the systemic failures now coming to light.
Source: CNN
Written By Rodney Mbua
