Death toll in Hong Kong apartment complex fire hits 146

Another 100 radical stay unaccounted for aft 7 high-rise buildings caught occurrence and continued burning for 2 days.

Authorities successful Hong Kong said 18 much quality remains person been recovered aft the immense blaze successful the eight-apartment Wang Fuk Court estate, bringing the decease toll to 146 people.

Police and occurrence authorities held a quality league connected Sunday to supply an update connected Hong Kong’s deadliest fire successful much than 75 years, which burned done 7 of the residential buildings successful the analyzable implicit 2 days earlier being afloat enactment retired by Friday.

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Shuk-yin Tsang, the caput of the Hong Kong constabulary casualty unit, told reporters astatine the country that different 100 radical stay unaccounted for and 79 were injured. The constabulary had antecedently reported 128 deaths, with families assisting successful the hard recognition process.

Cheng Ka-chun, the serviceman successful complaint of the constabulary unfortunate recognition unit, said the portion has searched done 4 of the buildings truthful far, uncovering bodies some successful flat units and connected the roofs.

He added that the portion “cannot regularisation retired the anticipation of further fatalities”, portion the afloat hunt process crossed each burned buildings is expected to instrumentality 3 to 4 weeks.

People enactment up to connection flowers and prayers for the victims adjacent the tract of the deadly fire, November 30, 2025 [Chan Long Hei/AP]

At the country of the blaze connected Sunday, much than 1,000 radical gathered to wage tribute to the victims, immoderate bringing flowers and handwritten notes portion others said prayers.

Joey Yeung, 28, whose grandmother’s flat burned successful the fire, said she had travel with her family with a consciousness of some mourning for the victims and choler astatine those responsible.

“I can’t judge it. So contiguous I came with my begetter and my household to laic flowers,” Yeung told the Reuters quality agency. “I’m not asking to get thing back, but astatine slightest springiness immoderate justness to the families of the deceased – to those who are inactive alive.”

Hong Kong has seen nationalist choler and dismay implicit the tragedy, arsenic the analyzable had repeatedly received warnings from residents astir risks arsenic good arsenic grounds of unsafe operation practices.

The buildings had been nether renovation since past year, and the bamboo scaffolding and flammable foam boards utilized to support windows during the process rapidly caught and dispersed the fire.

Police connected Saturday arrested Miles Kwan, 24, who was portion of a radical that launched a petition demanding an autarkic probe into imaginable corruption and a reappraisal of operation oversight, 2 radical acquainted with the substance told Reuters.

The online petition promoted by the radical drew much than 10,000 signatures by Saturday day earlier it was closed.

People connection flowers for the victims arsenic respective of the burned Wang Fuk Court buildings are disposable successful the background, November 30, 2025 [Chan Long Hei/AP]

Hong Kong officials announced precocious connected Saturday that they had ordered the contiguous suspension of enactment connected 28 gathering projects undertaken by the contractor of the complex, the Prestige Construction and Engineering Company, for information audits.

Three institution officials are among astatine slightest 11 radical arrested successful transportation with the blaze, according to section authorities.

Many of the 4,600 radical surviving successful the 8 high-rise buildings are present housed successful short-term exigency shelters oregon metropolis hotels, and authorities are moving connected longer-term solutions.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Jeffery Chan, a civilian servant who came to wage his respects connected Sunday, told The Associated Press quality agency.

“As a Hong Konger, seeing radical successful the spot wherever we unrecorded suffer their families, suffer everything successful conscionable 1 nighttime – if you enactment yourself successful their shoes, it is unbearable. They request encouragement, enactment and assistance from the radical of Hong Kong,” helium said.