Hong Kong’s leader said an independent committee will be established to investigate the cause of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, which killed at least 151 people and left almost 80 injured.
John Lee, the chief executive of the Chinese-administered region, pledged on Tuesday to overcome vested interests and pursue accountability for the fire, which ripped through seven tower blocks in the Wang Fuk Court housing complex where more than 4,600 people lived in the city’s Tai Po district.
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“In order to avoid similar tragedies again, I will set up a judge-led independent committee to examine the reason behind the cause and rapid spreading (of the fire) and related issues,” Lee told reporters.
“We must uncover the truth, ensure that justice is served, let the deceased rest in peace and provide comfort to the living,” he said.
Asked by a reporter why he should continue in his job after such a disaster had unfolded in the city, Lee said reform was needed.
“Yes, we have identified failures in different stages. That is exactly why we must act seriously to ensure that all these loopholes are plugged so that those who are responsible will be accountable,” Lee said.
“The shortcomings will be addressed. The bottlenecks will be addressed and we will reform the whole building renovation system. To ensure that such things will not happen again,” he added.
The fire started last Wednesday afternoon around scaffolding that had been set up at the housing complex for maintenance work on the high-rise buildings.
Authorities suspect high winds and substandard plastic mesh and insulation foam used during the renovations prompted the rapid spread of the blaze, which overwhelmed firefighting efforts.
Lee said those responsible for the renovations had mixed substandard protective netting with authorised netting “so as to cheat the inspection”. Fire alarms at the complex were also not working properly, officials have said.
Residents told of ‘relatively low fire risks’
Investigators have completed their search and examination of all but two of the seven burned-out towers, finding bodies of residents in stairwells and on rooftops, trapped as they tried to flee the flames. About 30 people are still missing.
Hong Kong police have arrested 13 people for suspected manslaughter in a growing criminal investigation into the fire, while an anticorruption body has arrested 12 people in probes related to the tragedy.
Residents of Wang Fuk Court were told by authorities last year that they faced “relatively low fire risks” after complaining about fire hazards posed by the renovations, the city’s Labour Department said, including about the potential flammability of the mesh that contractors used to cover the scaffolding.
Tests on several samples of a green mesh that was wrapped around bamboo scaffolding on the buildings at the time of the blaze did not meet fire-retardant standards, officials overseeing the investigations told a news conference on Monday.
The city’s Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan said contractors working on the renovations had used substandard materials in hard-to-reach areas, hiding them from inspectors.
Amid a huge outpouring of grief in the city as well as calls for accountability, local media have reported the arrests of several people who were making this call.
Miles Kwan, a 24-year-old student, was reportedly arrested by police for “seditious intent” after handing out flyers demanding a government review of construction oversight in the city. Kwan was released on Monday, according to reports. Two other people, including a former district councillor, were also taken in by police, according to local media reports.
Hong Kong student Miles Kwan, 24, part of a group that launched a petition demanding an independent probe into possible corruption and a review of construction oversight over a deadly fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, left a police station in a taxi on Monday. https://t.co/dcSK6GIbma pic.twitter.com/5E2qNKumDA
Asked about the arrests of people demanding action, Lee said he would “not tolerate any crimes, particularly crimes that exploit the tragedy that we have been facing now”.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued statements criticising the reported arrests of those calling for accountability.
“Now is the time for the Hong Kong authorities to transparently investigate the causes of the devastating fire … rather than silencing those who ask legitimate questions,” Amnesty International said.
Human Rights Watch’s Asia Director Elaine Pearson said authorities in Hong Kong should “not treat those demanding answers for the tragic fire as criminals”.
China’s national security office issued a statement warning those who would use the disaster to “plunge Hong Kong back into the chaos” of 2019 – when huge pro-democracy protests challenged Beijing and triggered a political crisis.
“We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors who attempt to ‘disrupt Hong Kong through disaster’,” the office said in a statement.
