13 folks have been arrested for suspected manslaughter after Hong Kong’s deadliest fireplace in a long time, officers have mentioned.
At a press convention in regards to the tragedy at Wang Fuk Court docket, police mentioned 151 folks had now died on account of the blaze – Hong Kong’s worst since 1948 – and that greater than 40 are nonetheless lacking.
An emotional Tsung Shuk Yin, a police official, instructed reporters on Monday: “Some of the bodies have turned into ash, therefore, we might not be able to locate all missing individuals.”
The fireplace final week engulfed a number of excessive rise blocks of flats. Officers overseeing investigations mentioned that assessments on a number of samples of a inexperienced mesh that was wrapped round bamboo scaffolding on the buildings on the time of the blaze didn’t match fire-retardant requirements.
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Officers have mentioned mesh round Wang Fuk Court docket didn’t meet security requirements. Pic: AP
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Pic: Kyodo/AP
Chief secretary Eric Chan instructed reporters that contractors engaged on the renovations used substandard supplies in hard-to-reach areas, successfully hiding them from inspectors.
The officers mentioned that foam insulation utilized by contractors additionally fanned the flames, and fireplace alarms on the complicated weren’t working correctly.
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Pic: Reuters
Labour Division acknowledges reply ‘was unclear’
They now acknowledge this reply to residents “was unclear and caused misunderstanding”.
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Pics: Hong Kong Police Public Relations Department/AP
The Labour Division additionally instructed residents they judged the chance of a hearth on the scaffolding was “relatively low”, as a result of the works didn’t embody actions similar to welding.
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‘It might have been prevented’
The blaze broke out on the Wang Fuk Court docket housing complicated within the metropolis’s Tai Po district on Wednesday.
Information present the positioning consists of eight blocks, with nearly 2,000 residences housing round 4,800 residents, together with many aged folks.
It was constructed within the Eighties and has lately been present process a significant renovation.
On Sunday, greater than 1,000 folks turned out to pay tribute to the victims of the fireplace, queuing for greater than a kilometre to put flowers, some with sticky notes connected addressed to the victims.
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Pics: Reuters
Man calling for probe detained
In the meantime, it emerged that police detained Miles Kwan, 24, who was a part of a gaggle that launched a petition demanding an impartial probe into attainable corruption and a evaluation of building oversight.
A web based petition demanding an impartial probe into attainable corruption and a evaluation of building oversight drew over 10,000 signatures earlier than it was closed.
One other petition with related calls for attracted greater than 2,700 signatures with its plea for “explicit accountability” from the federal government.
He was pictured leaving a police station in a taxi on Monday afternoon.
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Miles Kwan leaves a police station following his detention.
Pic: Reuters
Police didn’t touch upon the case, and Hong Kong Safety Chief Chris Tang additionally declined to touch upon particular operations at a press convention on Monday.
He added: “I’ve noticed that some people with malicious intent, aiming to harm Hong Kong and national security, have taken advantage of this painful moment for society.
“Subsequently, we should take acceptable motion, together with enforcement measures.”
