Hong Kong mourners pay tribute to 146 fire victims as Beijing warns against using the tragedy for protests, with authorities investigating corruption and safety failures.
HONG KONG: More than a thousand mourners queued for over a kilometre along a canal near the burnt-out Wang Fuk Court housing complex to lay white flowers for victims of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in over 75 years.
The confirmed death toll rose to 146 as police completed sweeps of five burnt-out towers, with some bodies found in stairwells and rooftops where residents tried to escape the fast-moving blaze.
Police said more than 40 people remain missing four days after the fire ripped through seven residential towers undergoing renovation in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district.
Joey Yeung, whose grandmother’s apartment burned, came with her family to lay flowers with a sense of mourning and anger.
“I’m not asking to get anything back but at least give some justice to the families of the deceased,” Yeung told Reuters.
Seven Indonesian domestic workers and one Filipino helper were confirmed among the dead, with dozens of migrant workers still missing.
Hundreds attended an outdoor prayer meeting for Hong Kong’s Filipino community on Sunday morning.
China’s national security authorities warned on Saturday against using the disaster to “plunge Hong Kong back into the chaos” of 2019’s pro-democracy protests.
“We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors who attempt to ‘disrupt Hong Kong through disaster’,” they stated.
Police detained Miles Kwan, who was part of a group that launched a petition demanding an independent probe into possible corruption.
The online petition drew over 10,000 signatures before closing.
Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the blaze as they investigate possible corruption and unsafe materials used during renovations.
The fire alarms at the complex, home to over 4,600 people, were not working properly.
Residents had raised concerns about fire hazards in September 2024, including about the potential flammability of protective green mesh covering bamboo scaffolding.
Authorities had told them they faced “relatively low fire risks” after their complaints.
A full search of all badly damaged buildings could take three to four weeks to complete, according to police.
