At least 128 people have died in a massive fire that broke out in several high-rise buildings in Hong Kong.
79 people have been injured in the city’s deadliest fire in more than 70 years, which broke out in the northern suburb of Tai Po, while dozens are missing.
Renovation of the tower blocks was underway when the fire broke out. The cause of the fire is unclear but officials said Friday that Styrofoam placed outside windows helped it spread quickly.
Three men who oversaw the renovation have been arrested on murder charges, and authorities have launched a corruption investigation.
More than 2,311 firefighters attended the fire that spread to seven of Wang Phuc Court’s eight apartment blocks.
Efforts to extinguish the fire have now stopped. The fire was completely extinguished by 10:18 local time (02:18 GMT) on Friday, the fire department said at a news conference.
It also said that 89 bodies have not yet been identified and 16 bodies are inside buildings.
Officials said police would begin entering the Vang Phuc Court buildings on Friday to collect evidence and that the investigation would be carried out over the next three to four weeks.
Meanwhile, crowds are gathering at a nearby community hall that has been opened to families searching for missing loved ones. Relatives are being asked to help in the identification process by bringing family photographs.
The Hong Kong government has also set up shelters and assistance centers for displaced residents. Groups of volunteers are packing and arranging supplies, including clothing and hygiene products, for affected people.
The fire started at 14:51 local time (06:51 GMT) on Wednesday and by 18:22 local time fire officials had upgraded it to the most severe category.
The fire department said the fire started at a lower level before moving up and reaching a peak temperature of 500C (932F).
As a result, the fire flared up again at some places after it was extinguished, he said.
The fire quickly spread to individual blocks due to the presence of flammable netting and other materials outside the buildings.
Firefighter Ho Wai-ho, 37, was identified as among those killed. He was found collapsed at the spot about 30 minutes after contact was lost on Wednesday.
Twelve other firefighters were also injured, officials said.
A migrant charity said two Indonesians working on the buildings also died in the fire. Indonesian and Filipino workers are among those still unaccounted for.
Shock has quickly turned to anger in Hong Kong, as questions arise over who should be held responsible for the fire.
Many residents have said that they did not hear the fire alarm when the fire broke out. The Hong Kong Fire Service found that the fire alarms in all eight blocks were not working effectively.
Meanwhile, a resident told the BBC that construction workers had set off some alarms.
Reports of earlier complaints from residents about high renovation fees and whether the materials used complied with fire-safety regulations have also resurfaced and are being widely circulated online.
A police spokesperson said, “We have reason to believe that those responsible at the company were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and the fire spreading out of control, resulting in a large number of casualties.”
Wang Phuc Court was built in 1983 and as of the 2021 government census, it provided 1,984 apartments for approximately 4,600 residents.
It is estimated that about 40% of its residents are at least 65 years old. Some people have been living in the subsidized housing estate since its construction.
Hong Kong’s deadliest fire on record killed 176 people in 1948 and was caused by an explosion on the ground floor of a five-story warehouse.
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