Hong Kong yesterday mourned the 128 people known to have died in a huge fire at a high-rise apartment complex, a toll that is likely to rise with 150 still missing days after the disaster.
Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the city’s worst blaze in nearly 80 years as they investigate possible corruption and the use of unsafe materials during renovations at the Wang Fuk Court complex.
Rescue operations at the site in the district of Tai Po, near the border with mainland China, concluded on Friday, though police say they may find more bodies as they comb through the hazardous, burnt-out buildings in coming weeks.
Police revised down the number of people unaccounted for to 150 from 200, after some relatives managed to reconnect with loved ones they initially reported as missing.
Hundreds of officers deployed to search for remains found no further bodies but rescued three cats and a turtle, police officials told a Press conference.
The fire started on Wednesday afternoon and rapidly engulfed seven of the eight 32-storey blocks at the complex that were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh and layered with foam insulation for the renovations.
Mainland China yesterday ordered a nationwide investigation of fire risks at high-rise buildings, especially residential blocks undergoing renovation.
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption body, the ICAC, said it had arrested three more people. Aged between 52 and 68, they were in charge of the contractor of the renovation project at the complex.
Condolence books have been set up at 18 points for the public to pay their respects.
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