Hong Kong launches 'independent committee' to probe deadly fire as death toll climbs to 151

Hong Kong’s leader said on Tuesday that an independent committee, chaired by a judge, will investigate the devastating blaze that tore through an apartment complex last week, leaving over 151 people dead. John Lee said the review would examine the building works system in full, with the aim of preventing similar disasters.

Authorities have arrested 14 suspects in connection with the city’s deadliest fire in decades, after uncovering “substandard” netting on the exterior of buildings that failed to slow the spread of flames. Officials confirmed on Monday that the death toll had risen to 151 after additional bodies were recovered, sparking widespread grief across the finance hub.

The fire broke out on Wednesday at the high-rises of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. Flames rapidly engulfed the blocks, which were covered in bamboo scaffolding, protective netting and foam boards as part of an estate-wide renovation affecting nearly 2,000 flats. Seven of 20 samples taken from four damaged towers did not meet fire safety standards. Security chief Chris Tang said investigators now believe that substandard safety netting, combined with foam boards, contributed to the scale of the disaster.

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Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency and police, carrying out a joint investigation, arrested 14 people, 13 of them on suspicion of manslaughter. Eric Chan, the city’s second-highest official, called their actions “shameful” and “cunning”, accusing them of mixing in inferior netting to cut costs and placing it in spots where ordinary people could not easily obtain samples.

Rising toll and mounting grief

Police said on Monday that searches had been completed in five of the seven affected towers, raising the number of dead from 146 the previous day. They warned that further increases could not be ruled out. Of the total, 104 bodies have been identified. Some remains had been “reduced to ashes”, police representative Tsang Shuk-yin said, meaning that the bodies of some missing residents may never be recovered.

Remains were found in flats, corridors and stairwells as officers continued to examine the remaining towers. Photos released by police showed rooms stripped to scorched white walls, with shattered belongings covered in soot. Consular officials confirmed that one Filipino and nine Indonesian nationals were among the dead, with 30 Indonesians still unaccounted for.

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Families of victims returned to Wang Fuk Court on Monday to begin traditional funeral rites, which were expected to continue into Tuesday. By Monday night, more than 1,900 households had applied for an emergency cash subsidy of HK$10,000, while around 2,400 people had used temporary government accommodation.

Following Sunday’s large public vigil, mourners continued to leave flowers and handwritten messages in a nearby park, some calling for accountability. One note read, “Hope your deaths were not in vain, the truth must come out for your sakes.”

Local media reported that 24-year-old student Miles Kwan was arrested for “seditious intent” after distributing flyers demanding government accountability. An online petition listing his four demands, including calls for an independent probe, gathered more than 10,000 signatures before being removed. Two others, including former district councillor Kenneth Cheung, were also detained. Kwan was later seen leaving a police station, while Cheung wrote online that he had been released on bail.

Security chief Tang said inaccurate comments circulating online posed a threat to national security, prompting necessary law enforcement actions. He declined to disclose operational details. Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 following the previous year’s protests. A new homegrown security law passed last year strengthened penalties for sedition, with a maximum sentence of seven years. As of early November, authorities had arrested 348 people for national security offences and convicted 172.