Bangkok: Hong Kong held a ceremony on Saturday to mourn the 128 confirmed dead in a massive fire at a high-rise apartment building, with the death toll expected to rise as around 200 people remain missing days after the disaster.
According to Thai News Agency, Hong Kong authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the city’s worst fire in nearly 80 years as they investigate possible corruption and the use of unsafe materials during the renovation of a Wang Fuk Court condominium in Tai Po. Rescue operations at the scene in Tai Po, near the border with mainland China, ended Friday, though police said they may find more bodies as they comb the burned building as part of the ongoing investigation.
The fire started Wednesday afternoon and quickly spread to seven of the complex’s eight 32-story buildings, which were encased in bamboo scaffolding and green netting and insulated with foam for renovation. Hong Kong officials said the fire alarms at the complex, which houses more than 4,600 people, did not function properly.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, along with other officials and civil servants dressed in black, observed a three-minute silence Saturday morning outside the Central Government Office, with flags flown at half-mast. Condolence books were also set up at 18 locations across Hong Kong for the public to express their condolences.
Families and mourners gathered to lay flowers, while some faced the harrowing task of looking through photos of the dead taken by rescue workers. Authorities said Friday that only 39 of the 128 dead had been identified.
Mr Lee said the government would set up a HK$300 million (US$40 million) fund to help residents, while some of China’s largest listed companies have pledged donations. Hundreds of volunteers have also mobilized to help victims, sorting and distributing items ranging from diapers to hot meals. They have set up teams to collect, transport and distribute goods around the clock, and have set up a large support camp for homeless residents next to a shopping mall across from the complex.
The Indonesian consulate said at least two of the dead were domestic workers from Indonesia, while Bethune House, a shelter for migrant women, said dozens of domestic workers from the Philippines were also affected, with 19 people still missing.