HONG KONG — The death toll from a massive blaze at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex has risen to at least 94, authorities said Tuesday, as firefighters and rescue teams scoured burned high-rises for scores of people still listed as missing in the city’s worst fire in nearly 80 years.
The fire, which broke out more than 24 hours earlier in the eight-building Tai Po estate, was largely brought under control but not completely extinguished, with occasional sparks and thick smoke still emerging from the charred blocks. Fire services said the blaze had been contained to four of the complex’s almost 2,000 units.
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Officials said 76 people were injured, including 11 firefighters; hospitals reported at least 12 people in critical condition and another 28 in serious condition. Of those confirmed dead as of 4 p.m. Irish time, authorities said one was a 37-year-old firefighter and two were Indonesian migrant domestic workers.
City leader John Lee warned the toll could rise, saying 279 people were unaccounted for, though police later said they had made contact with some of those listed and had not updated the figure. At a nearby community centre, police showed photos of recovered bodies and personal items to relatives seeking to identify missing loved ones.
Residents described chaotic evacuations and a slow initial response. “The fire spread so quickly. I saw one hose trying to save several buildings, and I felt it was far too slow,” said a man surnamed Suen, who said neighbours had to ring doorbells and knock on doors to wake residents because alarms were not heard.
Witnesses filmed sections of charred bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh collapsing from the buildings as flames belched through windows into an orange night sky. Fire services said wind and drifting debris likely helped the fire jump from one tower to another.
Authorities have launched criminal and administrative probes into the renovation work at the estate. Hong Kong’s anti-corruption commission said it had opened an investigation, and police arrested three men on suspicion of negligently leaving foam packaging at the site. Officials pointed to bamboo scaffolding and plastic mesh wrapped around the buildings as part of major works under way.
Hong Kong’s number-two official, Eric Chan, said it was “imperative to expedite the full transition to metal scaffolding.” The city has been phasing out green construction mesh since March.
The government said it would immediately inspect all housing estates undergoing major work, open nine emergency shelters and set up a €33.20 million fund to assist victims. Authorities are organising temporary accommodation and emergency relief for those displaced by the blaze.
Volunteers and neighbours have mounted spontaneous relief efforts around the estate, distributing clothes and food and circulating lists of missing people. “The spirit of Hong Kong people is that when one is in trouble, everyone lends support,” said Stone Ngai, one organiser of an impromptu aid station.
Activities related to Hong Kong’s legislative elections scheduled for Dec. 7 were suspended in the wake of the disaster. The fire is the deadliest in the city since a 1948 explosion and inferno that killed 135 people.
Our hearts go out to all those affected by the horrific fire in Hong Kong. We are thinking of every family waiting for news, mourning loved ones, or holding onto hope for those still missing — Grenfell United.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
