Hong Kong on Saturday (29) began a three-day period of mourning for the deaths of 128 people in a complex of apartment buildings destroyed by the worst fire in decades in the region.
The chief executive of the semi-autonomous region, John Lee, and senior officials observed a minute of silence at 8 a.m. local time in front of the government headquarters, where the Chinese and Hong Kong flags were lowered at half-mast due to the tragedy, which also left dozens of people missing.
People wept for the victims and laid flowers near the Wang Fook Court complex, which includes eight towers and more than 1,800 apartments, and is located in the Tai Po district.
The government enabled the public to sign condolence books. People visited hospitals and victim identification centers in the hope of finding their family members, as 89 bodies had not been identified.
The region’s Anti-Corruption Commission arrested eight people in connection with the fire. Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire broke out in the basements, through the protective plastic usually used to cover buildings undergoing renovation in Hong Kong. It is possible that bamboo scaffolding and “highly flammable” foam boards contributed to the spread of the fire.
Fire Chief Andy Young revealed that the alarm systems in the eight buildings were “malfunctioning” and promised to take action against the contractors.
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog said “consultants, scaffolding subcontractors and a project broker” were among eight people arrested on Friday. The previous day, three more men were arrested on suspicion of leaving foam containers at the scene of the fire.
In the hospital
Dozens of people are still in hospital today, 11 of them in critical condition and 21 in serious condition. AFP journalists watched rescuers recover bodies from the charred rubble of Wang Phuc Court, while vehicles unloaded bodies at a nearby morgue.
Chris Tang, the region’s security chief, said: “We do not rule out the possibility that police will find more charred remains when entering the complex to conduct a detailed investigation and collect evidence.”
Faced with a desperate search for families, the government reported that police had activated a special disaster victim identification system to help locate missing people.
The government said that about 800 people received temporary shelter, and the government had already announced the allocation of $38.5 million in aid.
Crowds affected by the tragedy moved to support those affected. Stations providing clothes, food, and household supplies were set up in a square near the charred towers, in addition to cabins providing medical and psychological care. The organizers reported that the number of donations received was already sufficient.