Hong Kong authorities announced Monday that the death toll from last week’s apartment complex fire has climbed to 151, as investigators arrested 13 people on suspicion of manslaughter after discovering that contractors deliberately used substandard materials to fuel profits at the expense of safety.
The fire, which erupted on November 26 at the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po and engulfed seven of the complex’s eight towers, marks Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze since a 1948 warehouse fire that killed 176 people. More than 40 people remain missing as police continue searching the charred buildings, where some remains have been reduced to ash.
Contractors Hid Fire Hazards From Inspectors
Tests revealed that seven of 20 samples of green mesh netting wrapped around bamboo scaffolding failed to meet fire-retardant standards, officials said at a Monday press conference. The Independent Commission Against Corruption found that after a typhoon damaged original netting, contractors purchased 2,300 rolls of substandard material at HK$54 ($7) per roll—less than half the cost of compliant netting—and installed it in hard-to-reach areas to evade inspection.
“They just wanted to make money at the expense of people’s lives,” Chief Secretary Eric Chan told reporters, explaining that contractors placed 115 rolls of proper netting at ground level where inspectors could access it.
Highly flammable polyurethane foam insulation also accelerated the fire’s spread, while fire alarms throughout the complex were not functioning properly, authorities said. The approximately 4,600 residents of Wang Fuk Court had raised concerns about fire hazards as early as September 2024, but Hong Kong’s Labour Department told them they faced “relatively low fire risks”.
Political Crackdown Follows Public Outcry
As thousands lined up for more than a kilometer to lay flowers and pay respects to victims, Chinese authorities moved to suppress calls for accountability. Miles Kwan, a 24-year-old student who launched an online petition demanding an independent probe into possible corruption and construction oversight failures, was detained Saturday by national security police on suspicion of sedition. The petition gathered more than 10,000 signatures before being taken down.
Hong Kong Security Chief Chris Tang said authorities must take “appropriate action” against those making “inaccurate comments online” that threaten national security, though he declined to confirm specific arrests. China’s national security office issued a stark warning Saturday against using the disaster to “disrupt Hong Kong through disaster,” echoing rhetoric from the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
The 13 arrested for manslaughter—12 men and one woman aged 40 to 77—include directors of the construction firm and scaffolding subcontractors, with authorities indicating more arrests are possible. Legislative elections are scheduled to proceed as planned on December 7.