128 Dead, 200 Missing in Hong Kong Apartment Fire... Police Expand Investigation

Only 39 Victims Identified Among the Deceased; 79 Injured
Fire Started in Netting on Lower Floors of One Building,
Spread Rapidly via Styrofoam, Fire Alarms Failed to Operate
Five Construction-Related Individuals Arrested; Corruption Investigatio

The fire disaster that broke out on November 26 (local time) at a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong is expected to be recorded as the worst tragedy, with over 300 fatalities.

Smoke is rising from the high-rise apartment complex 'Wang Fuk Court' in Tai Po, northern Hong Kong, at 9:19 p.m. local time on the 27th, about 30 hours after the fire broke out. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to major foreign media outlets, as of 3 p.m. on this day, the fire at the 32-story (lobby floor plus 31 residential floors) high-rise residential apartment complex 'Wang Fuk Court' in the Tai Po district of northern Hong Kong had resulted in 128 confirmed deaths. Authorities stated that the bodies of 108 victims have been recovered, 16 remain inside the building, and 4 died after being transported to the hospital. Among the deceased, 39 have been identified. The number of injured stands at 79, including 12 firefighters who participated in the firefighting efforts. Although firefighting and search operations concluded on this day, approximately 200 residents remain missing.

Chris Tang, Secretary for Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, stated at a briefing that a total of 467 rescue requests were received for this fire, including duplicate reports. Of these, 110 people were confirmed safe, 39 were confirmed dead, and 35 were confirmed injured, while the fate of about 200 people remains unclear. According to local migrant worker organizations, local media reported that the whereabouts of 19 Filipinos and 11 Indonesians, who had come to Hong Kong to work as domestic helpers, are still unknown.

The Hong Kong government announced that it would support the entire funeral process for the deceased and provide a condolence payment of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars (about 38 million won) to each bereaved family. In addition, the government decided to provide an additional 50,000 Hong Kong dollars (about 9.45 million won) in livelihood support to each affected household, on top of the emergency aid of 10,000 Hong Kong dollars (about 1.9 million won) that was distributed the previous day.

Approximately 900 displaced residents are staying at eight temporary shelters, including nearby schools. More than 2,300 firefighters and paramedics were mobilized for firefighting, search, and rescue operations, and 309 fire engines were dispatched. The apartment complex where the fire broke out consists of eight buildings with about 2,000 households, and seven of these buildings were affected by the fire. The fire, which was reported at 2:51 p.m. on November 26, was largely extinguished by 10:18 a.m. on this day, after approximately 43 hours.

Authorities stated that the fire started in the netting installed on the lower exterior of one of the buildings in the apartment complex, which was undergoing renovation work. Secretary Tang explained, "The fire is believed to have started in the netting on the lower exterior, quickly spreading upward via styrofoam and affecting multiple floors. The high temperatures caused the bamboo scaffolding (temporary structures used at construction sites for high-rise work) and protective netting to catch fire, and burning bamboo fragments fell, spreading the flames to other floors." He added that although the netting met flame-retardant requirements, the styrofoam panels surrounding the building's windows and doors were highly flammable. Secretary Tang also noted that the fire alarms in the apartment complex did not function properly and that the poor on-site conditions could delay evidence collection for the fire investigation by up to three to four weeks.

Authorities, including the Hong Kong police, believe that the rapid spread of the fire and the resulting large number of casualties were caused by the use of flammable materials during the renovation process, and have launched a compulsory investigation. On the previous morning, police raided the apartment complex’s management company and arrested three individuals responsible for the apartment’s renovation and the engineering consulting firm overseeing the renovation, on charges of involuntary manslaughter. On this day, two additional related individuals were arrested, bringing the total number of suspects in custody to five.

Furthermore, the anti-corruption authorities have launched an investigation into whether corruption occurred in the renovation project, which cost about 330 million Hong Kong dollars (approximately 62.18 billion won). A police official stated, "There is reason to believe that company executives committed gross negligence, which led to the fire, caused it to spiral out of control, and resulted in mass casualties."