Death Toll Climbs to 128 as Hong Kong High-Rise Inferno Raises Urgent Safety Questions
Authorities investigate failed alarms, hazardous renovation materials and widespread devastation at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court
A devastating blaze that tore through the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district has killed at least 128 people, marking the city’s deadliest fire in more than six decades.
The inferno, which erupted on Wednesday afternoon, rapidly engulfed seven of the estate’s eight towers and forced thousands of residents to flee as thick smoke and collapsing scaffolding turned the neighbourhood into a disaster zone.
Emergency teams fought the fire for nearly two days before declaring it fully extinguished on Friday morning.
Officials reported that at least 79 people were injured, and dozens remain unaccounted for.
Investigators said the fire began on a lower level before racing upward, accelerated by Styrofoam panels placed outside windows as part of ongoing renovation works.
Bamboo scaffolding encasing the buildings also intensified the blaze’s spread.
Authorities confirmed that fire alarms across all eight blocks were not functioning effectively at the time of the disaster.
As part of the widening inquiry, three individuals responsible for the renovation project have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, and a corruption investigation has been launched.
Police have forcibly entered and searched more than one thousand units in efforts to reach survivors.
The government has established shelters and assistance centres to support displaced residents, offering temporary housing, basic supplies and emergency financial help.
Volunteers have mobilised across Tai Po to distribute clothing, food and necessities.
Officials said DNA analysis will be used to identify the many victims whose remains were recovered amid the charred towers.
With temperatures inside parts of the ruins still exceeding two hundred degrees Celsius, investigators are now preparing for a weeks-long process to gather evidence and determine how a fire of this scale was able to devastate a densely populated estate.
For many families still searching for missing loved ones, the wait continues as the city confronts the full human cost of the disaster.
The inferno, which erupted on Wednesday afternoon, rapidly engulfed seven of the estate’s eight towers and forced thousands of residents to flee as thick smoke and collapsing scaffolding turned the neighbourhood into a disaster zone.
Emergency teams fought the fire for nearly two days before declaring it fully extinguished on Friday morning.
Officials reported that at least 79 people were injured, and dozens remain unaccounted for.
Investigators said the fire began on a lower level before racing upward, accelerated by Styrofoam panels placed outside windows as part of ongoing renovation works.
Bamboo scaffolding encasing the buildings also intensified the blaze’s spread.
Authorities confirmed that fire alarms across all eight blocks were not functioning effectively at the time of the disaster.
As part of the widening inquiry, three individuals responsible for the renovation project have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, and a corruption investigation has been launched.
Police have forcibly entered and searched more than one thousand units in efforts to reach survivors.
The government has established shelters and assistance centres to support displaced residents, offering temporary housing, basic supplies and emergency financial help.
Volunteers have mobilised across Tai Po to distribute clothing, food and necessities.
Officials said DNA analysis will be used to identify the many victims whose remains were recovered amid the charred towers.
With temperatures inside parts of the ruins still exceeding two hundred degrees Celsius, investigators are now preparing for a weeks-long process to gather evidence and determine how a fire of this scale was able to devastate a densely populated estate.
For many families still searching for missing loved ones, the wait continues as the city confronts the full human cost of the disaster.
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