Hong Kong fire: death toll rises to 128 in Tai Po tower block blaze
The death toll in a blaze that engulfed a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong has risen to 128 with 200 still listed as missing, apparently trapped inside.
Five people have been arrested in connection with the blaze at the estate of eight residential blocks, which had been undergoing renovation since last year.
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption body arrested two directors of Will Power Architects Company, the consultant firm in charge of the renovation project at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, a day after three senior employees of Prestige Construction & Engineering, the construction company, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
It was initially suspected that the fire, the worst in the city for 77 years, was spread between the buildings by the mesh-covered bamboo scaffolding covering them as part of a renovation. Bamboo, commonly used by the building trade in Hong Kong, is valued for its strength, lightness, flexibility and low cost, although it is highly flammable.
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Authorities in the former British territory also said on Friday that the fire alarms in the building were not working properly when the blaze started on Wednesday.
By Thursday evening firefighters had mostly extinguished the fire but videos emerged of them continuing to search the charred remains of the towers using torches to light their way. In addition to those who died, at least 79 people were injured and 200 were un
accounted for. A total of 1,000 police officers were mobilised on Friday for additional searches.
Inspections are now being carried out on public housing across the territory after police blamed flammable foam used to seal windows and mesh netting that did not meet safety standards.
At least one firefighter died trying to control the inferno that spread through seven of the eight 31-storey buildings of the complex in the Tai Po area of Hong Kong’s New Territories. A dozen firemen were also injured, with one in a critical condition. The site contains just under 2,000 flats and is home to about 4,000 people.
The huge plumes of smoke and flames of the fire were visible from mainland China.
John Lee, the Hong Kong chief executive, said: “The merciless fire has made us realise how unpredictable life can be. The government will stand united with all Hong Kong people, and working together with collective determination, we firmly believe we can overcome this challenge together.”
Hundreds of people forced out of their homes were sleeping on mattresses in gymnasiums and public buildings. Many were desperately waiting for news of trapped relatives.
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Lawrence Lee, a resident waiting for news of his wife, said: “When the fire started, I told her on the phone to escape. But once she left the flat, the corridor and stairs were all filled with smoke and it was all dark, so she had no choice but to go back to the flat.”
Those who escaped are using social media to track down the missing.
One woman said: “I saw [the fire] draw closer, it was burning red and my heart was burning too.” She told the Associated Press that she rushed through the building knocking on doors to warn her neighbours, and that she heard no fire alarms.
Hong Kong police arrested three men aged between 52 and 68. Two of them are directors and one is an engineering consultant of the contractor responsible for the renovation of the buildings, which has been going on since last year.
Eileen Chung, a senior superintendent of the Hong Kong police, said: “We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent.”
Kwong Pui-lun, a former chairman of Wang Fuk Court’s owners’ corporation, said: “I always see construction workers smoking and they litter cigarette butts everywhere.”
A resident of one of the high rises said people had complained about workmen smoking close to the scaffolding. She told the South China Morning Post: “I thought about not evacuating at first, figuring the fire was far away, and there was no need to run. It’s already like a chain of boats on fire with no one putting out the flames, they’re just watching the buildings burn. Are we all going to end up sleeping on the streets together?”
A 37-year-old firefighter named Ho died in hospital after being separated from his unit inside one of the buildings and suffering burns to his face.
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The Hong Kong education bureau announced that six schools will be suspended on Thursday. Educational psychologists have been sent to the temporary shelters to counsel children.
President Xi of China demanded an “all-out effort” to quell the fire.
Derek Armstrong Chan, of the Hong Kong fire department, said: “Debris and scaffolding of the affected building are falling down, posing additional danger to our frontline personnel. Besides, the temperature inside the building is very high, it’s quite difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operations.
“It has become dark so our rescue and firefighting operation is becoming more difficult.”
The Hong Kong Pet Club dispatched animal ambulances to the site to help the many pets believed to be trapped inside the burning buildings.
