The death toll in Hong Kong’s devastating public housing fire has climbed to at least 128, with authorities still unable to identify nearly 90 victims and the fate of over 200 residents yet to be confirmed. Rescue efforts continue at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, where residents remain displaced and dozens are still hospitalized.
According to the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has arrested six more individuals in connection with the disaster, including two directors of Will Power Architects Company — the consultancy overseeing renovation works at the housing block. The number of arrests now stands at eight, as officials probe what has become the deadliest fire in the city in more than 70 years.
Authorities have found alarming safety failures during inspections. Investigators discovered lift windows on every floor sealed with flammable styrofoam, which is believed to have caused heated glass panes to burst and allowed the flames to race into residential units. Construction mesh and plastic sheeting surrounding the buildings also failed to meet required fire safety standards.
According to media reports, firefighters later found that alarms across all eight residential buildings were “not functional” when checked after the blaze. It remains unclear if the system ever triggered during the emergency — residents earlier told reporters they did not hear any alarm go off. Fire Services Director Andy Yeung said non-compliance would face strict enforcement action.
Officials believe the fire ignited on the lower floors of Wang Cheong House — one of eight closely built towers in the complex that housed over 4,000 people, many elderly. The flames spread simultaneously to multiple towers, turning the densely packed estate into a rapidly expanding inferno.
Survivors are spending nights in temporary shelters, while emotional relatives wait for updates on missing loved ones as authorities work to confirm identities amid severe burn damage to bodies.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has ordered safety inspections at all public housing estates undergoing large-scale renovation. A criminal investigation into how substandard materials were approved and installed is underway, with police saying the probe could take several weeks.
The unprecedented tragedy has shaken public trust in the city’s construction oversight and fire safety standards — widely considered among the most robust in the world — and raised urgent questions about accountability in public housing upgrades meant to protect, not endanger, residents.
