A catastrophic fire at Wang Fuk Court public housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district has killed 55 people.
The blaze was first reported at 2:51pm local time on 26 Nov, and rapidly engulfed seven out of eight residential blocks in the estate.
Wong Ka-wing, a deputy director at the Fire Services Department, said during a media briefing that 51 people were found dead at the scene. Another four were declared dead at the hospital.
About 280 people remain unaccounted for as of the afternoon of 27 Nov, while 76 people are hospitalised with 15 in critical condition.
Twenty-eight are deemed serious cases.
Styrofoam and Non-Compliant Materials Fuelled Rapid Spread
Raging flames at four out of the seven blocks in Wang Fuk Court have been brought under control. The remaining three still have fires on the upper floors of their 31-storey structures.
Full-scale rescue work is ongoing and victims are still being extracted from the buildings.
According to a preliminary investigation, officers discovered highly flammable styrofoam cloaking lift windows on every floor. Authorities said this caused the fire to spread more rapidly within the blocks and ignite flats through the corridors.
The mesh netting and sheeting used outside the buildings also failed to meet fire safety standards, officials said on Wednesday night.
Three people have been arrested for manslaughter. They include two directors and a consultant of the contractor responsible for the renovation of the buildings.
They allegedly used non-compliant materials in scaffolding nets and sealed windows with styrofoam. The highly flammable substances caused the fire to spread rapidly, sparking the tragedy.
Chief Executive Orders Inspections as Death Toll Reaches 55
Initial footage from the scene showed bamboo scaffolding outside several flats of the building rapidly bursting into spiralling flames. The scaffolding was completely engulfed in multiple towering columns of fire.
Burning sections of green scaffolding mesh fell to the ground.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has since ordered inspections on all Hong Kong public housing estates undergoing major renovations. Authorities launched a criminal investigation into the city’s deadliest fire at the Tai Po estate.
President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences in a statement on Wednesday evening. He called for all-out efforts to minimise casualties and losses.
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