Hong Kong authorities yesterday said they had arrested 13 people for suspected manslaughter in a probe into the city’s deadliest fire in decades, pointing to substandard renovation materials for fuelling a blaze that has claimed at least 151 lives.
Police continued to sweep the seven burnt-out towers engulfed in Wednesday’s disaster at the Wang Fuk Court estate, finding bodies of residents in stairwells and on rooftops, trapped as they tried to flee the flames.
“Some of the bodies have turned into ash, therefore we might not be able to locate all missing individuals,” police official Tsang Shuk-yin told reporters, choking up with emotion.
Tests on several samples of a green mesh that was wrapped around bamboo scaffolding on the buildings at the time of the blaze did not match fire retardant standards, officials overseeing the investigations told a news conference.
Contractors working on the renovations used these substandard materials in hard-to-reach areas, effectively hiding them from inspectors, said Chief Secretary Eric Chan.
Foam insulation used by contractors also fanned the flames and fire alarms at the complex were not working properly, officials have said.
Thousands have turned out to pay tribute to the victims, who include at least nine domestic helpers from Indonesia and one from the Philippines, with lines of mourners stretching more than a kilometre along a canal next to the estate.
Vigils are also due to take place this week in Tokyo, London and Taipei, authorities said.
The apartment blocks were home to more than 4,000 people, according to census data, and those that escaped must now try to get their lives back on track.
More than 1,100 people have been moved out of evacuation centres into temporary housing.
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