The final death toll from a devastating Hong Kong housing fire has been revised to 168, as authorities complete victim identification and continue a wide-ranging criminal probe.
HONG KONG: The final death toll from a devastating fire at a Hong Kong housing complex in November is 168, the city’s security chief said on Thursday.
Security secretary Chris Tang said the number had risen by seven from the previously announced figure of 161 victims.
“All remains and bodies from the incident have been identified” with nobody unaccounted for, he said.
The names of the deceased will not be released to respect their grieving families’ wishes, according to Tang.
All families of the deceased have been notified, police said in a statement.
The deceased comprise 110 women and 58 men, aged between 6 months and 98 years.
They include a firefighter, two interior decorators, five construction workers and 10 migrant domestic workers.
The blaze at the Wang Fuk Court complex was the world’s deadliest residential building fire since 1980.
It engulfed seven out of eight residential towers, which were undergoing renovations and wrapped in substandard netting that may have contributed to its spread.
Authorities have formed a judge-led “independent committee” to investigate the blaze.
City leader John Lee said on Wednesday that police have arrested 16 people on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the investigation.
A further six people have been arrested on suspicion of fraud, Lee added.
Hong Kong’s anti-graft watchdog has also arrested 14 people on suspicion of corrupt practices.
Police have said they will continue to probe the cause of the fire and submit a death investigation report to the coroner.
