A massive fire that continues to burn in a Hong Kong apartment complex that has killed at least 55 people and left nearly 300 missing may have been caused by an "extremely negligent" construction company that used unsafe materials, police said on Monday.
According to the previous tally, there were 44 deaths.
For almost a full day after the fire broke out, firefighters struggled to reach residents who may have been trapped on the upper floors of the Wang Fook Court complex, due to intense heat and thick smoke from the fire that broke out yesterday afternoon.
Police said that, in addition to the buildings being covered with protective netting and plastic that may not meet fire safety standards, they also discovered that some windows in one undamaged building had been sealed with foam installed by a construction company engaged in year-long maintenance work.
"We have reason to believe that the responsible persons at the company were extremely negligent, which led to this accident and allowed the fire to spread uncontrollably, with serious consequences for people," said Eileen Chang, Superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Force.
Three men from that construction firm — two directors and an engineering consultant — were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, she added.
Police raided the headquarters of the company responsible for maintaining the complex this morning, seizing documents mentioning Wang Fuk Court, local media reported. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The complex in the northern district of Tai Po has 2.000 apartments in eight buildings, home to more than 4.600 people, in a city facing a chronic shortage of affordable housing.
By Thursday morning, authorities said they had brought the fire under control in four of the seven buildings, while work was continuing on the remaining three. Footage from the scene about 22 p.m. after the fire broke out showed flames still billowing from at least two of the 32-story towers, shrouded in green construction netting and bamboo scaffolding.
Bamboo scaffolding is a traditional element of Chinese architecture, but has been in the process of being phased out in Hong Kong since March due to safety concerns.
One firefighter was among the 44 dead, while 45 people are in critical condition in hospital, police said at a press conference this morning.
"The priority is to put out the fire and rescue the trapped residents. The second priority is to support the injured. The third is to support and recover. Then we will launch a thorough investigation," said Hong Kong leader John Lee.
About 279 people are missing and 900 are being housed in eight reception centers, he added.
The death toll is now the highest in a fire in Hong Kong since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse fire.
Searching for loved ones
The latest fire has drawn comparisons to the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster in London, which killed 72 people. That fire was blamed on companies that clad the facade with flammable materials, as well as failures by the government and the construction industry.
"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the terrible fire in Hong Kong. To the families, friends and communities — we stand with you. You are not alone," said the Grenfell United survivors group on social media.
Harry Cheung, 66, who has lived in Block Two of the complex for more than 40 years, said he heard a loud noise at around 14:45pm and saw a fire breaking out in a neighbouring block.
"I went back right away to pick up my things. I don't even know how I feel right now. I'm just thinking about where I'm going to sleep tonight," he said.
A woman, surnamed Ng (52), was desperate as she searched for her daughter outside the shelter.
"She and her father still haven't come out. They didn't have water to save our building," she sobbed, holding her daughter's graduation photo.
Another long-time resident, surnamed Chu, said she had still not been able to contact friends who live in the neighboring block. After spending the night at a friend's house, the 70-year-old returned to find her home still burning.
"We don't know what to do," she said.
"We bought an apartment in this building more than 20 years ago. All our belongings were in it, and now, when everything burned down like this – what's left? Nothing left. What should we do now?" asked a 51-year-old resident surnamed Van.
An application has appeared on the internet with reports of missing persons via a linked Google document containing details about the residents of individual towers and apartments.
It includes descriptions like "Seventy-year-old mother-in-law, missing" or "one boy and one girl" or "Roof: male, 33 years old."
One description simply reads: “27th floor, room 1: He is dead.” Reuters could not independently verify the information from the app.
Xi Jinping calls for "maximum effort"
Many residents took to social media to criticize what they see as negligence and austerity as the cause of the fire. One video showed several workers smoking on bamboo scaffolding during renovations at one of the buildings.
From the mainland, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for "maximum efforts" to extinguish the fire and reduce casualties and damage, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The Hong Kong Transport Department said several roads in the area would remain closed this morning, with 39 bus routes being diverted and nearby schools closed.
The Hong Kong government began phasing out bamboo scaffolding in March, citing worker safety after 22 deaths of workers on bamboo scaffolding between 2019 and 2024. It announced that 50 percent of public construction work would have to use metal frames.
High property prices in Hong Kong have long been a trigger for social tensions in the city, and this tragedy could further intensify dissatisfaction with the authorities ahead of the city's parliamentary elections in early December.
Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise residential complexes in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is a developed suburban district with a population of about 300.000.
The complex, which opened in 1983, is part of the government's subsidized housing program, according to real estate agents. According to online postings, the complex has been undergoing a HK$330 million ($42,43 million) renovation for a year, with each apartment priced at between HK$160.000 and HK$180.000.
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