Hong Kong’s devastating high-rise blaze has entered its deadliest phase, with emergency crews discovering more bodies during an apartment-by-apartment search and the death toll rising to 128. Hundreds of residents are still unaccounted for, making it likely that the final casualty figure will climb even higher.
Firefighters spent nearly 40 hours battling the inferno, which swept through seven of the eight tower blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po after scaffolding wrapped in netting and highly flammable foam panels caught fire and transmitted flames from building to building. Even two days later, smoke continued to drift from the charred structures as flare-ups persisted.
Search teams prioritised flats from which distress calls were received during the fire but could not be reached in time. Secretary for Security Chris Tang confirmed that around 200 people remain missing, including 89 whose bodies have not yet been identified. Among the dead were two domestic workers from Indonesia, while 11 more Indonesian migrants remain unaccounted for.
More than 2,300 firefighters and medical personnel participated in the operation, and 79 people were injured. One firefighter lost his life during the rescue efforts. Residents described scenes of shock and disbelief — many had fled with nothing, while others returned home only to find their buildings engulfed.
Authorities have launched a major criminal investigation centred on allegations of gross negligence linked to the building’s massive renovation project. Seven men and one woman — aged 40 to 63 — were arrested on Friday, including scaffolding subcontractors, directors of an engineering consultancy and project managers overseeing the refurbishment. Earlier, three construction company executives were detained on suspicion of manslaughter. Police and Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency have seized documents and bank records from the companies involved.
Investigators found that foam plastic panels fixed to windows across the complex fuelled the rapid spread of flames once the fire broke out on lower-level scaffolding. Officials suspect that materials used on the external walls did not comply with fire-resistance standards.
The government has ordered immediate safety inspections across all housing estates undergoing renovation to ensure building materials and scaffolding meet safety norms. Flags across the city will fly at half-mast from Saturday to Monday, and Chief Executive John Lee will lead a three-minute silence in mourning.
The blaze is now the deadliest fire in Hong Kong in decades — surpassing the 1996 Lyton Building tragedy — and has prompted demands for accountability as residents wait for answers and as the search for the missing continues.
