By Jessie Pang and James Pomfret
HONG KONG, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Thousands turned out on Sunday to pay tribute to the victims of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in more than 75 years, as Beijing warned it would crack down on any “anti-China” protest in the wake of the blaze.
The cause of the blaze at a high-rise apartment complex, remains under investigation, amid public anger over missed fire risk warnings and evidence of unsafe construction practices.
Police said on Sunday the confirmed death toll had risen to 146 after they completed a sweep of five of the burnt-out towers. Some bodies had been found in stairwells and on rooftops where residents had tried to flee. More than 40 people are still missing, police said.
Mourners queued for more than a kilometre along the banks of a canal near the burnt-out Wang Fuk Court housing complex to lay white flowers for those who died, with people still arriving late in the evening. Some attached notes addressed to the victims and laid flowers including chrysanthemums, which symbolise grief in Chinese culture.
The smell of smoke still hung in the air four days after the fast-moving blaze fanned across the exterior of seven residential towers under renovation in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district.
Joey Yeung, 28, whose grandmother’s apartment burned in the fire, said she had come with her family to mourn the victims and with feelings of anger at those responsible.
“I can’t accept it. So today I came with my father and my family to lay flowers,” Yeung told Reuters. “I’m not asking to get anything back but at least give some justice to the families of the deceased – to those who are still alive.”
Seven Indonesian domestic workers and one Filipino helper were among the dead and dozens of migrant workers remain missing. Hundreds attended outdoor prayers in central Hong Kong for the city’s Filipino community on Sunday morning.
Police on Saturday detained Miles Kwan, 24, part of a group that launched a petition demanding an independent probe into possible corruption and a review of construction oversight, two people familiar with the matter said. Reuters could not establish whether he had been arrested.
Hong Kong police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The online petition promoted by the group drew over 10,000 signatures by Saturday afternoon before it was closed.
A second petition with similar demands was launched soon after by a Tai Po resident living overseas. That had more than 2,700 signatures as of Sunday. “The government owes Hongkongers genuine, explicit accountability,” it said.
The blaze that ripped through seven residential towers near the border with mainland China has stunned Hong Kong and authorities have launched criminal and corruption investigations.
China’s national security authorities on Saturday warned individuals against using the disaster to “plunge Hong Kong back into the chaos” of 2019, when massive pro-democracy protests challenged Beijing and triggered a political crisis.
“We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors who attempt to ‘disrupt Hong Kong through disaster’. No matter what methods you use, you will certainly be held accountable and strictly punished.”
ALARMS NOT WORKING PROPERLY
Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the blaze, as they investigate possible corruption and the use of unsafe materials during the renovations.
Rescue operations concluded on Friday, though police say they may find more bodies as they comb through the hazardous, burnt-out buildings, which could take three or four weeks.
The fire started on Wednesday afternoon and rapidly engulfed seven of the eight 32-storey blocks at the complex, which were wrapped in green mesh and bamboo scaffolding, and layered with foam insulation for the renovations.
Authorities have said the fire alarms at the complex, home to over 4,600 people, were not working properly.
The fire is Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze.
Residents of Wang Fuk Court were told by authorities last year they faced “relatively low fire risks” after complaining about fire hazards posed by the renovations, the city’s Labour Department said.
The residents raised concerns in September 2024, including about the potential flammability of the mesh contractors used to cover the scaffolding, a department spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Jessie Pang, James Pomfret, Writing by Kevin Krolicki; Editing by Michael Perry and Giles Elgood)
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