The death toll from a devastating high-rise apartment fire in Hong Kong has climbed to 159, as authorities confirmed the arrest of six individuals on suspicion of deactivating crucial fire alarms during maintenance work. Police revealed the youngest victim of the inferno was a one-year-old infant, while the oldest was 97, underscoring the wide-ranging impact of the disaster.
Investigators have now completed searches within seven of the eight residential towers at the Wang Fuk Court complex in the northern suburban district of Tai Po, which was engulfed in flames last Wednesday. The blaze, which took until Friday to extinguish, still leaves approximately 30 people unaccounted for.
Commissioner of Police Joe Chow stated, "We have not finished our work yet," adding that efforts continue to scour through piles of fallen bamboo scaffolding to check for any buried remains or bodies.
The complex was undergoing a monthslong renovation project, with buildings shrouded in extensive bamboo scaffolding. Substandard netting covering scaffoldings erected outside the towers and foam boards installed on windows were found to have aided the fire's rapid spread, authorities said earlier this week.
The initial cause of the catastrophic fire remains under investigation. Among the 159 fatalities, 19 bodies are yet to be identified.
The victims include ten migrants who worked as domestic helpers at the housing complex – nine from Indonesia and one from the Philippines – alongside a firefighter who perished in the tragedy.
Police and the city's anti-corruption body said Tuesday that they had arrested 15 people as authorities probe corruption and negligence in relation to the renovation work.
Police said Wednesday that six people who allegedly deactivated some fire alarms at the housing complex during the renovation works were arrested on suspicion of making false representations to the fire services department.
Residents and officials have said that some fire alarms in the buildings failed to sound when the fire broke out, though it was not clear how widespread that problem was within the complex.
