The number of people killed by fire in the residential complex in Hong Kong rises to 156

Published at: 02/12/2025 06:31 PM

According to authorities, the number of people killed in the voracious fire that occurred last Wednesday, November 26, which consumed seven of the eight buildings of the Wang Fuk Court Residential Complex in Hong Kong, has risen to 156, according to the SWI website.

The Chief Executive of Hong Kong announced this Tuesday, December 2, the creation of an independent committee, led by a judge, to investigate the fire in the aforementioned residential complex under repair, which caused the death of 156 people.

The authorities say that the conflagration, the worst that the semi-autonomous Chinese city has experienced in decades, spread rapidly through the plastic meshes that covered the bamboo scaffolding installed for the works and that did not meet fire resistance standards.

“I will establish an independent committee to carry out a comprehensive and in-depth review, reform the building works system and avoid similar tragedies in the future,” Hong Kong leader John Lee said at a press conference. The commission will be chaired by a judge, he added.

So far, the Hong Kong anti-corruption agency and the police, who are conducting a joint investigation into the fire, have arrested 15 people suspected of involuntary manslaughter for the fire in the Wang Fuk Court complex, located in the Tai Po district.

According to local media, two other people, including former councilman Kenneth Cheung, were also arrested by police.

Hong Kong has a legal mechanism for creating commissions of inquiry, which in the past used to be led by judges to carry out complex investigative tasks, a practice inherited from British colonial rule.

“The culprits tried to mix substandard meshes with certified networks to deceive inspection agencies and law enforcement agencies,” said the official, calling the suspects “evil.”

Regarding the arrests, Lee told AFP, that “I will not tolerate any crime, especially those who take advantage of the tragedy we are experiencing.”

“Some people with hidden motivations (try) to jeopardize the security of Hong Kong and the national security of China,” he said.

He added that “we must take appropriate measures, including police measures,” without giving further details.

The city, shocked by the tragedy, paid tribute during a three-day mourning, with thousands of people leaving flowers and notes demanding responsibility.

Mazo News Team