Anger erupted on Sunday over a deadly fire at a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong, with Beijing warning against attempts to use the disaster to disrupt the city, as people across the financial hub mourned more than 128 victims.
Police detained a man on Saturday who was part of a group that started a petition demanding government accountability, an independent investigation into possible corruption, proper rehabilitation for residents and a review of construction inspections, two sources familiar with the matter said.
University student Miles Kwan, 24, was arrested on suspicion of trying to incite sedition in connection with the fire at the Wang Fuk Court complex in northern Tai Po district, the South China Morning Post reported. Hong Kong police did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
An online petition promoted by the group had garnered more than 10,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon before it closed.
A second petition with the same demands has been started by a Tai Po resident who is now living abroad.
“Hong Kongers demand truth and justice,” KY wrote in the comments section of the new online petition.
Fires at seven high-rise residential blocks near the border with mainland China have stunned Hong Kong and authorities have launched criminal and corruption investigations as anger and frustration grow.
The cause of the fire, which killed 128 people and 150 are still missing, has still not been determined.
Authorities are under stress to avoid any widespread public reaction after pro-democracy protests in the city in 2019 led to the imposition of a national security law by Beijing.
China’s national security officials warned people on Saturday against using the disaster to disrupt the city.
“We strongly warn anti-China dissidents who attempt to ‘disrupt Hong Kong through disaster’. No matter what methods you use, you will definitely be held accountable and severely punished under the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Security National Security Ordinance.”
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 renovations at the Vang Phuc Court complex.
Rescue operations at the scene ended Friday, although police say they may find more bodies as they search the dangerous, charred buildings.
Hundreds of officers deployed to search for the remains found no more bodies, but three cats and a tortoise were rescued, police officials told a news conference.
The fire began on Wednesday afternoon and quickly engulfed seven of the eight 32-storey blocks of the complex, which were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green netting and coated with foam insulation for the renovation.
Donations are coming in from large and small companies as well as other groups to aid the victims.
Authorities have said fire alarms in the Wang Fuc Court estate, home to more than 4,600 people, are not working properly.
The fire is Hong Kong’s worst since 1948, when a warehouse fire killed 176 people.
The city’s labor department said residents of Vang Phuc Court were told by authorities last year that they faced a “relatively low fire risk” after complaining about fire hazards due to renovations.
A department spokesperson said residents expressed concerns, including the potential flammability of the protective green netting contractors used to cover the bamboo scaffolding in September 2024.
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