Death Toll Rises to 146 in Hong Kong Fire, Beijing Warns Against Protests

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The death toll in the blaze that consumed an apartment complex in Hong Kong rose to 146 on Nov. 30, cementing the disaster as one of the city’s worst in history as mourners gather and leave flowers at a makeshift memorial.

The Hong Kong police Disaster Victim Identification Unit is meticulously sifting through the Wang Fuk Court complex and finding bodies in apartment units and on rooftops, according to Cheng Ka-chun, the officer in charge.

He told reporters that while the buildings are still structurally stable, the search has been slow.

“It is so dark inside, and because of the low light, it is very difficult to do the work, especially in places away from the windows,” he said while still wearing his white coveralls, a hard hat, and a respirator.

Cheng said search teams have searched four of the seven apartment blocks.

Tsang Shuk-yin, head of the Hong Kong police casualty unit, said the most recent searches uncovered another 30 bodies. Firefighters had previously discovered 12 of them but had been unable to recover them.

Another 100 people are unaccounted for, and 79 were left with injuries, according to Tsang.

Mourners and well-wishers gathered at the scene of the disaster on Nov. 30, bowing, offering short prayers, and leaving handwritten notes and flowers.

“This really serves as a wake-up call for everyone, especially with these super high-rise buildings,” Lian Shuzheng told the Associated Press after waiting in a line of hundreds to leave flowers at the makeshift memorial.

Some have also donated supplies to victims who lost their possessions in the fire, which began on Nov. 26 and continued into Nov. 28 before firefighters extinguished it.

“The five alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po, exposed serious deficiencies of PC&E in site safety management, including the extensive use of foam boards to block up windows during building repairs,” the government said in a statement.

Local police arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter the day after the blaze began. Two were directors of a construction company, and the other was an engineering consultant. Police have not yet publicly identified the construction firm by name.

The three men were briefly released on bail before Hong Kong’s anti-corruption authorities rearrested them along with eight other suspects, including renovation project managers for the apartment complex, directors of an engineering consulting firm, and scaffolding subcontractors.

Multiple petitions have surfaced in recent days demanding a full investigation of what transpired and triggered the massive fire.

China’s national security authority issued a warning on Nov. 29, threatening to take a “hard stance” against any “disruptive” actions resulting from the disaster.

It warned individuals not to use the fire to “plunge Hong Kong back into the chaos” of 2019, when pro-democracy protesters challenged the Chinese Communist Party’s regime, leading to a political crisis.

“We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors who attempt to ‘disrupt Hong Kong through disaster.’ No matter what methods you use, you will certainly be held accountable and strictly punished,” authorities said.