The death toll from Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in more than six decades, a blaze that tore through several high-rise public housing towers in Tai Po, has risen to 128, with around 200 people still missing, officials said.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s security chief Chris Tang announced on Friday that rescue operations at the Tai Po residential complex have been completed.
According to the Fire Services Department, the blaze was “largely extinguished” by 10:18am (02:18 GMT) on Friday, marking the official end of firefighting efforts.
Crews had spent hours battling extreme heat, thick smoke, and collapsing scaffolding as they struggled to reach residents feared trapped in upper floors.
The inferno tore through the eight-tower Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po, home to more than 4,600 people. The estate had been wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh as part of ongoing renovation works when the fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon and rapidly engulfed multiple towers.
Police have arrested three officials from the construction company responsible for the renovation, accusing them of manslaughter for allegedly using unsafe, highly flammable materials, including foam boards that had been installed over windows, blocking escape routes.
Although the fire had largely subsided by Friday morning, firefighters continued searching the charred buildings.
“We’ll endeavour to force entry into all units across the seven towers to ensure there are no additional casualties,” Deputy Fire Services Director Derek Chan said.
Most victims were recovered from two of the towers, while survivors were rescued from several buildings, Chan added, without giving further details.
Among the dead were two Indonesian domestic workers, according to the Indonesian consulate. Hong Kong employs roughly 368,000 domestic workers, mainly women from low-income Asian countries who live with their employers.
The disaster is now Hong Kong’s deadliest fire since 1948, when a warehouse blaze killed 176 people, and it has drawn comparisons to London’s 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 residents.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee announced that the government will establish a HK$300 million (approximately US$39 million) relief fund for affected residents. Several major Chinese companies also announced donations to support survivors and displaced families.
