Hong Kong Police said that the death toll of people killed in the Wang Fuk apartment fire has risen to 159 while giving an update on their investigation into the incident on Wednesday.
Police have completed sweeps of four of the seven towers that were engulfed in the city's deadliest fire in more than 75 years, finding bodies of residents in stairwells and on rooftops, trapped as they tried to flee the flames.
The Police added that more than 31 people were still missing with searching of the buildings expected to last three weeks.
An additional eight bodies were found after the searching in one of the towers with some of the bodies so badly burnt that it might be difficult to bring them out the police said.
This comes as thousands turned out to pay tribute to the victims, who include at least nine domestic helpers from Indonesia and one from the Philippines, with lines of mourners stretching more than a kilometre (a half-mile) along a canal next to the doomed Wang Fuk Court estate on Sunday.
Vigils are also due to take place this week in Tokyo and London.
The cause of the blaze that started last Wednesday (26 November) and quickly fanned across the exterior of the apartments under renovation is still being investigated.
But amid pockets of public anger over missed fire risk warnings and evidence of unsafe construction practices, Beijing has warned it would crack down on any "anti-China" protests
At least one person involved in a petition calling for an independent probe among other demands has been detained, sources familiar with the matter said.
Police have declined to comment on specifics, saying only that they will take action in accordance with the law.
The remaining buildings to be scoured for remains are "the difficult ones", Amy Lam, a senior police official told reporters on Sunday, adding that the final leg of the search may take weeks.
Images shared by police showed officers clad in hazmat suits, face masks and helmets, inspecting rooms with blackened walls and furniture reduced to ashes, and wading through water used to douse fires that raged for days.
Throngs of officers arrived at the site early on Monday morning to continue their search of the burnt-out buildings.
The apartment blocks were home to more than 4,000 people, according to census data, and those that escaped must now try to get their lives back on track.
More than 1,100 people have been moved out of evacuation centres into temporary housing, with a further 680 put up in youth hostels and hotels, authorities said.
With many residents leaving behind belongings as they fled, authorities have offered emergency funds of HK$10,000 ($1,284) to each household and provided special assistance for issuing new identity cards, passports and marriage certificates.
Hong Kong's deadliest fire since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze, has stunned the city, where legislative elections are due to be held this weekend.
Authorities have arrested 21 people as part of investigations into possible corruption and the use of unsafe materials during the renovations.
The building was wrapped in green mesh and bamboo scaffolding and layered with foam insulation at the time. Fire alarms at the complex were also not working properly, authorities have said.
Residents of Wang Fuk Court were told by authorities last year they faced "relatively low fire risks" after complaining about fire hazards posed by the renovations, the city's Labour Department said.
The residents raised concerns in September, 2024, including about the potential flammability of the mesh contractors used to cover the scaffolding, a department spokesperson said.
Police on Saturday detained Miles Kwan, 24, part of a group that launched a petition demanding an independent probe into possible corruption and a review of construction oversight, two people familiar with the matter said. Reuters could not establish whether he had been arrested.
Two others have also since been arrested on suspicion of seditious intent, the South China Morning Post said. The police declined to comment on those reported arrests.
China's national security office warned individuals on Saturday (29 November) against using the disaster to "plunge Hong Kong back into the chaos" of 2019, when massive pro-democracy protests challenged Beijing and triggered a political crisis.
"We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors who attempt to ‘disrupt Hong Kong through disaster’," the office said in a statement. "No matter what methods you use, you will certainly be held accountable and strictly punished.”
The U.S. and UK are reducing personnel at Qatar’s Al-Udeid air base as President Donald Trump weighs possible action against Iran over its violent c...
China recorded the world’s largest-ever trade surplus in 2025, reaching $1.2 trillion as exporters shifted focus away from the U.S. amid ongoing tra...
Iran’s temporary shutdown of its airspace prompted flight diversions and fresh safety warnings on Wednesday as regional tensions disrupted airline o...
The United Nations has called on Uganda to lift a nationwide internet blackout ahead of Thursday’s general election, describing the restrictions as ...
Whole milk is heading back to school cafeterias across the U.S. after President Donald Trump signed a bill overturning Obama-era limits on higher-fat ...
Governments in Europe and Asia are stepping up pressure on X and its Grok chatbot after AI-generated sexualised images sparked regulatory action, with Indonesia becoming the first country to block access to the tool.
The year 2025 was marked by widespread protests and civil unrest across multiple regions, as citizens took to the streets to voice anger over political decisions, economic pressures, governance failures and social inequality.
Around 20 people have died after a major fire tore through a seven-storey office building in Indonesia capital Jakarta on Tuesday.
The Trump administration will suspend all visa processing for visitors from 75 countries beginning 21 January 2026, according to a State Department memo reported by media.
Saudi Arabia has informed Iran that it will not allow its territory or airspace to be used for any military action against Tehran, according to two sources close to the kingdom’s government cited by AFP.
Sweden is sending a group of military officers to Greenland at Denmark’s request, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Wednesday, as Nordic countries and NATO allies step up coordination around the Arctic territory.
Israel and Arab States have urged the U.S. to delay any potential military action against Iran, warning that such a move could undermine ongoing protests inside the country, according to NBC News.
Boeing booked more aircraft orders than Airbus in 2025 for the first time since 2018, official figures showed, even as the European manufacturer delivered more planes during the year.
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez said Wednesday that her government will continue releasing prisoners detained under former President Nicolás Maduro, calling it part of a “new political moment” since his ouster by the United States earlier this month.
The U.S. and UK are reducing personnel at Qatar’s Al-Udeid air base as President Donald Trump weighs possible action against Iran over its violent crackdown on protesters.
The United Nations has called on Uganda to lift a nationwide internet blackout ahead of Thursday’s general election, describing the restrictions as “deeply worrying.”
Whole milk is heading back to school cafeterias across the U.S. after President Donald Trump signed a bill overturning Obama-era limits on higher-fat milk options.
NASA is carrying out the first emergency return in International Space Station history after an astronaut aboard Crew-11 suffered a serious medical condition.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment