Hong Kong authorities said they had arrested 13 more people for negligence that led to the deaths, citing the use of substandard materials that allowed the deadly flames to spread, Reuters reported.
Police continued their search of the blaze-ravaged apartment complex on the 1st of December, finding bodies in stairwells and on rooftops as people tried to escape the burning buildings. More than 40 people are still missing. A police spokesman told reporters that the bodies of the victims had turned to ash and it was possible that not all of the missing would be found.
Tests of several samples of the green construction netting that covered the bamboo scaffolding have found it to be substandard. The unsuitable netting was used in hard-to-reach areas, thus hiding it from building inspectors. Foam sheets used by builders to cover windows also contributed to the spread of the fire. Officials also said the buildings’ fire alarms were not working.
Thousands of people gathered at a canal next to the burned buildings to pay their respects to the victims. Nine Indonesian domestic workers and one Filipino were among the dead. Memorial services are planned for Tokyo, London and Taipei this week.
Meanwhile,
public anger is growing over ignored fire risks and unsafe construction practices,
to which Beijing has responded by saying it will not tolerate protests against the Chinese government. At least one person who organized a petition calling for an independent investigation has been detained for two days, people familiar with the matter said. Police declined to comment, saying only that they would act in accordance with the law.
A police official said on the 30th of November that the search for the dead was continuing in the buildings where conditions were the most difficult, and that the work could take weeks to complete. Images released by the police showed officers in protective suits searching through rooms with blackened walls, completely burned furniture and moving through water that had filled the buildings after days of extinguishing the fire. According to official figures, more than 4,000 people lived in the complex.
Last year, residents of the complex were told that the fire risk was relatively low after complaints about safety hazards caused by renovations. The complaints were filed in September 2024, when residents pointed out the use of flammable construction mesh.
Chinese security authorities warned Hong Kong residents on the 29th of November not to use the tragic fire to create chaos similar to the 2019 protests. That year, large-scale pro-democracy protests triggered a political crisis in Beijing. The official statement said that anyone participating in the protests and organizing them would be held accountable and punished.
Read also: Hong Kong apartment building on fire; three arrested for negligence