Death Toll Rises to 146 in Hong Kong Fire

The death toll from a fire in a residential building in Hong Kong has risen to 146, police said on Sunday. Disaster Victim Identification Unit officials recovered bodies from Wang Fuk Court and three other high-rise buildings. This is the deadliest residential fire worldwide since 1980.

Police Accident Investigation Unit chief Superintendent Sang Shuk-Yin said the latest death toll is 146, though more casualties cannot be ruled out. Over a thousand people across the city paid their respects at the Tai Po district complex in northern Hong Kong.

An interdepartmental task force has been formed to investigate the cause of the fire. Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency has arrested 11 people, three of whom face murder charges.

The Indonesian consulate reported that at least seven Indonesian citizens died in the fire. Manila’s consulate confirmed the death of one Filipino worker. The city’s buildings department has temporarily suspended work on 30 private building projects.

Khaborwala/TSN