The city's leader, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an separate inquiry panel to investigate the cause of a devastating fire that killed at least 151 residents.
On Wednesday last week, the majority of the tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to significant upgrades—were consumed by a blaze. Investigators have since found that construction site netting surrounding the buildings failed to meet flame retardant standards.
At least 13 suspects have been detained on suspicion of potential negligent homicide, comprising the executives of a building firm.
"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a big fire. Reform is necessary. We have uncovered shortcomings in multiple areas. Hence we must act seriously to ensure that all these gaps are eliminated," stated the leader.
The inferno—that propagated rapidly both upwards and between the blocks—was only fully doused by Friday morning, some 40 hours after it started, and necessitated more than 2,000 firefighters to bring under control.
The same day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to collect forensic material. Officials state the inquiry could take three to four weeks.
Several residents have reported they did not hear a emergency siren when the fire started. The city's fire department determined that alarms in every tower were not working effectively.
The city's construction authority has temporarily suspended renovation projects on numerous private sites.
Additionally, police reportedly detained a 24-year-old man on charges related to incitement on the weekend. He was involved with a gathering demanding an independent inquiry into the fire. An digital signature drive amassed in excess of 10,000 supporters in less than a day before its page was taken down.
Two other people, among them a former district councillor, were also detained by officers, per news outlets.
The human rights organization and The monitoring body have both denounced the alleged detentions.
"This is the occasion for the local government to thoroughly and publicly probe the causes of the catastrophic blaze...instead of suppressing those who pose valid inquiries," Amnesty International said.
Wang Fuk Court was built in 1983 and had supplied 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 residents, per a 2021 government census.
Almost four in ten of its residents are thought to be over 65 years of age. Some have lived in the public housing complex from its inception.
Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on file took 176 lives in 1948 and was caused by a ground-floor explosion at a five-storey warehouse. The deadliest was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when over 600 attendees perished.
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