The death toll has climbed again as police make arrests over alleged safety lapses at the site. With more bodies recovered and three construction officials now in custody, the scale
Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in nearly eight decades has claimed 128 lives, after rescue workers recovered more bodies from the ruins of the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po, where a blaze tore through eight 32-storey towers wrapped in bamboo scaffolding.
The fire, which began on Wednesday and spread with alarming speed, is the city’s worst since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze.
We have put together seven stories on everything you need to know about Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. Hong Kong families endure unimaginable loss as fire death toll rises
Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has torn apart families as the death toll increased early Friday morning, with many heavy-hearted relatives continuing to search for missing loved ones.
2. ‘Hongkongers are capable’: deadliest fire in decades spurs widespread aid efforts
People from all walks of life in Hong Kong rallied in support of victims of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, with aid ranging from millions in cash donations by major business groups to grass roots efforts by civilians delivering essential supplies.
3. Want to donate in cash or kind? How to help Hong Kong’s embattled fire victims
In the wake of the fire at Wang Fuk Court that devastated seven blocks of the estate in Tai Po on Wednesday, the community swiftly rallied to support displaced families, with organisations establishing collection points for essential supplies. Here’s where you can offer your donations – in cash or kind – to aid the relief effort.
4. ‘My superhero’: girlfriend mourns loss of firefighter killed in Hong Kong blaze
Pride mingled with grief as the family and loved ones of the Hong Kong firefighter who died while battling Wednesday’s disastrous high-rise inferno shared their feelings of tragic loss.
5. Hong Kong contractor for fire-hit Tai Po project has record of safety offences
The contractor behind renovation work at the site of Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades had previously breached safety requirements for construction projects on multiple occasions, the Post has found.
6. Hong Kong fire probe centres on widespread use of flammable material by building firm
The investigation into a deadly fire at a Hong Kong housing estate has centred on the use of flammable material in the scaffolding that covered the residential blocks, officials said on Thursday.
A deadly blaze that ravaged a four-decade-old public housing estate in Tai Po is once again casting a spotlight on one of Hong Kong’s most iconic yet contentious construction features: bamboo scaffolding.
