TOPSHOT - Firemen get acceptable aft a large occurrence swept done respective flat blocks astatine the Wang Fuk Court residential property successful Hong Kong's Tai Po territory connected November 27, 2025. Hong Kong firefighters were scouring a still-burning flat analyzable for hundreds of missing radical connected November 27, a time aft the blaze tore done the high-rises, sidesplitting astatine slightest 44. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP via Getty Images)
Dale De La Rey | Afp | Getty Images
Hong Kong authorities said connected Monday they had arrested 13 radical for suspected manslaughter successful a probe into the city's deadliest occurrence successful decades, pointing to substandard renovation materials for fueling a blaze that has claimed astatine slightest 151 lives. Police continued to expanse the 7 burnt-out towers engulfed successful Wednesday's catastrophe astatine the Wang Fuk Court estate, uncovering bodies of residents successful stairwells and connected rooftops, trapped arsenic they tried to fly the flames.
More than 40 radical are inactive missing. "Some of the bodies person turned into ash, truthful we mightiness not beryllium capable to find each missing individuals," constabulary authoritative Tsang Shuk-yin told reporters, choking up with emotion. Tests connected respective samples of a greenish mesh that was wrapped astir bamboo scaffolding connected the buildings astatine the clip of the blaze did not lucifer fire-retardant standards, officials overseeing the investigations told a quality conference.
Contractors moving connected the renovations utilized these substandard materials successful hard-to-reach areas, efficaciously hiding them from inspectors, said Chief Secretary Eric Chan.
Foam insulation utilized by contractors besides fanned the flames and occurrence alarms astatine the analyzable were not moving properly, officials person said. Thousands person turned retired to wage tribute to the victims, who see astatine slightest 9 home helpers from Indonesia and 1 from the Philippines, with lines of mourners stretching much than a kilometer (a half-mile) on a canal adjacent to the estate.
Vigils are besides owed to instrumentality spot this week successful Tokyo, London and Taipei, authorities said. Amid pockets of nationalist choler implicit missed occurrence hazard warnings, Beijing has warned it would ace down connected immoderate "anti-China" protests. At slightest 1 idiosyncratic progressive successful a petition calling for an autarkic probe and a reappraisal of operation oversight among different demands was detained for astir 2 days, sources acquainted with the substance said. Police person declined to remark connected the case. Hong Kong Security Chief Chris Tang besides declined to remark connected circumstantial operations astatine a property league connected Monday.
"I've noticed that immoderate radical with malicious intent, aiming to harm Hong Kong and nationalist security, person taken vantage of this achy infinitesimal for society," helium said.
"Therefore, we indispensable instrumentality due action, including enforcement measures."
Search moves to worst-affected buildings
The buildings being scoured for remains are the worst damaged and the hunt whitethorn instrumentality weeks, authorities person said.
Images shared by constabulary showed officers clad successful hazmat suits, look masks and helmets, inspecting rooms with blackened walls and furnishings reduced to ashes, and wading done h2o utilized to douse fires that raged for days.
Throngs of officers arrived astatine the tract aboriginal connected Monday greeting to proceed their hunt of the burnt-out buildings.
The flat blocks were location to much than 4,000 people, according to census data, and those who escaped indispensable present effort to get their lives backmost connected track.
More than 1,100 radical person been moved retired of evacuation centers into impermanent housing, with a further 680 enactment up successful younker hostels and hotels, authorities said.
With galore residents leaving down belongings arsenic they fled, authorities person offered exigency funds of HK$10,000 ($1,284) to each household and provided peculiar assistance for issuing caller individuality cards, passports and matrimony certificates.
Deadliest blaze since 1948
Residents of Wang Fuk Court were told by authorities past twelvemonth they faced "relatively debased occurrence risks" aft complaining astir occurrence hazards posed by the renovations, the city's Labour Department said.
The residents raised concerns successful September 2024, including astir the imaginable flammability of the mesh contractors utilized to screen the scaffolding, a section spokesperson said.
Hong Kong's deadliest occurrence since 1948, erstwhile 176 radical died successful a warehouse blaze, has stunned the city, wherever legislative elections are owed to beryllium held this weekend.
On Saturday, constabulary detained Miles Kwan, 24, 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 said. Reuters could not found whether helium had been arrested.
Kwan near a constabulary presumption successful a taxi connected Monday afternoon, according to a Reuters witness.
Two others person besides since been arrested connected suspicion of seditious intent, the South China Morning Post said. The constabulary declined to remark connected those reported arrests.
China's nationalist information bureau warned individuals connected Saturday against utilizing the catastrophe to "plunge Hong Kong backmost into the chaos" of 2019, erstwhile monolithic pro-democracy protests challenged Beijing and triggered a governmental crisis.
"We sternly pass the anti-China disruptors who effort to 'disrupt Hong Kong done disaster'," the bureau said successful a statement. "No substance what methods you use, you volition surely beryllium held accountable and strictly punished."
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