Hong Kong mourns victims of blaze as search for remains continues

At least 128 people have died in the region’s largest blaze in decades in an eight-apartment residential complex, which is the country’s mourning community.

As Hong Kong leader John Lee, other officials, and civil servants gathered on Saturday to pay their respects to those who have been lost at the Wang Fuk Court estate since the fire on Wednesday, the flags were raised to half-mast.

According to officials, condolence books have been set up at 18 locations throughout the former British colony to pay their respects.

Families and mourners gathered to lay flowers at the site of the residential complex.

Only 39 of the victims had been identified by Friday, leaving families with the perplexing task of examining the photos of the deceased taken by rescue workers.

Authorities set the date for the search for survivors’ end on Friday, with around 200 people still missing, which could cause the number of victims to rise significantly.

However, Lee claimed that the government is creating a fund with 300 million Hong Kong dollars ($39 million) in capital to assist the residents and that the search for remains continues.

Local residents are also pitching in, with hundreds of volunteers mobilizing to assist the victims, including by distributing food and other essential items. Additionally, some of the biggest companies in China have made donations.

Since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse fire, the Wang Fuk Court fire has been the deadliest in Hong Kong since 1948.

According to local authorities, the tragedy has resulted in the arrest of at least 11 people.

They are accused of manslaughter because they used unsafe materials, along with two firm directors and an engineering consultant who the government claimed had been doing maintenance on the towers for more than a year.

The highly flammable bamboo scaffolding and green mesh used to cover the building, which were located in Tai Po’s northern district, were currently undergoing renovations. It is thought that this was a major factor in the rapid spread of the fire.

Seven of the eight towers suffered significant damage, including from flammable foam boards that the maintenance company used to seal and protect windows, making up the majority of the victims, which were discovered in the complex’ two towers.

The deadly incident has drawn comparisons to the London fire at the Grenfell Tower in 2017, which was blamed on failings by the government and the construction sector as well as on the exterior of the building’s flammable cladding.

The Grenfell United survivors’ group, in a short statement posted on social media, said in a short statement, “Our hearts go out to all those affected by the horrific&nbsp, fire&nbsp, in Hong Kong.”