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The death toll in a massive fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po area has risen to 128. Search operations are ongoing, and bodies are still being recovered. The cause of the fire is suspected to be scaffolding erected during reconstruction work. Police arrested three people on charges of gross negligence.
Hong Kong Fire Tragedy: Death Count Mounts
Hong Kong: The death toll from Wednesday's massive fire in Hong Kong's Tai Po area has risen to 128. More bodies were found during searches of the affected buildings, pushing the number up. The fire department began the final stages of the search on Friday.
Seven of the eight buildings in the Wang Fuk Court complex caught fire. Bamboo scaffolding erected during the reconstruction caused the fire to spread rapidly. The initial fire, which began in one building, spread to seven other buildings. Smoke is still visible two days after the accident.
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Secretary for Security Chris Tang said bodies are being recovered from the burned buildings, and the death toll may rise further. Around 4,800 people were living in the buildings, and approximately 70 people were injured, including 11 fire officers. 900 people are sheltering in temporary shelters.
Hong Kong police have arrested three people, including the directors of a construction company. They are accused of serious negligence, which led to such severe loss of life and property. Police are now investigating housing estates where reconstruction work is underway to ensure safety standards are being followed.
This fire is being considered one of the worst accidents in Hong Kong's history. According to Chinese media, 41 people died in a fire at a commercial building in Kowloon in 1996. In 1948, 176 people died in a warehouse fire.
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More than 1,000 firefighters were deployed within 24 hours to control the fire. Most attention was paid to the buildings where the fire first broke out and received the most calls. Only after the search operation is completed will the damage and burned property in all the buildings affected by the fire be estimated.
Hong Kong authorities are planning to implement new regulations based on the lessons learned from this accident. Construction and scaffolding safety standards will be rigorously checked across all housing estates to prevent similar incidents in the future.
