Hong Kong.- Authorities Hong Kong I revealed it Part of the protection net used in the scaffolding of the residential complex Wang Fook Court – the epicenter of last week’s devastating fire that left at least 151 dead— Did not meet fire safety standards.
The official confirmation, issued on Monday, deepened the climate Popular anger It raised questions about the responsibility of contractors and officials, while the government took measures to contain the criticism and police operation that had already accumulated. 14 people were arrested for manslaughter and Three for sedition.
The fire, the deadliest in a residential building in the city since 1980, started last Wednesday in the grate beneath bamboo scaffolding surrounding one of the towers under renovation at the complex in the Tai Po suburb.
The fire spread quickly when foam panels installed above the windows caught fire and shattered the glass, allowing winds to spread the fire from one building to another.. Seven of the eight towers ended up in flames that had not been completely extinguished as of Friday.
Although initial tests indicated that the mesh used was sufficient, new samples collected at all levels revealed this Seven of the twenty points analyzed did not comply with the standardswhich explains to the First Secretary of Hong Kong, Eric Chan, A Contractors try to cut costs. “They just wanted to Making money at the expense of people’s lives“, he denounced to the press.
The Ministry of Labor confirmed that residents have been filing complaints about the scaffolding network for about a year. Between July 2024 and the week before the fire, state inspectors carried out their work 16 visits For the renovation project, several written warnings were issued to contractors for non-compliance with fire safety.
The Wang Fook court complex includes approx 4600 peopleaccording to official figures. However, teams from the Victim Identification Unit searched five of the eight buildings Two are still inaccessible The most affected groups continue structural assessment. Eight new bodies were recovered on Mondayincluding three that firefighters had not previously been able to remove. In addition to the missing, there is still 39 unidentified bodiesaccording to the police.
This was stated by Security Minister Chris Tang 14 people associated with the construction company —Including managers and engineering consultant— They were arrested As part of the investigation. In parallel, voices demanding political responsibilities increased. “People are angry and believe the Hong Kong government should be held accountable,” said political scientist Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a researcher at the Asia Center in Paris. But he pointed out that the margin of opposition is now very limited in the former British colony, which has been under Chinese control since 1997.
In this context, the police also arrested People accused of spreading “rumors” Or to try “Exploiting the disaster to incite hatred against the government.”. Among them was student Miles Cowan (24 years old), who distributed leaflets calling for an investigation into official responsibility. Two other activists were arrested on Sunday, according to local media HK01 and Sing Tao Daily.
The National Security Protection Office issued a statement denouncing the “evil plans” aimed at “creating problems and disrupting Hong Kong,” without providing details. Tang warned against this They will criminally prosecute those deemed to endanger national security.“We must take action. We cannot reveal the details because they affect national security.”