Tuesday | 2nd December 2025
Hong Kong — The leader of Hong Kong has vowed to ensure that “justice is served” following a catastrophic inferno that killed more than 150 people last week, as mounting evidence points to alleged negligence by construction firms that used substandard materials on scaffolding surrounding the stricken buildings.
The blaze ripped through seven high-rise residential towers at the Wang Fuk Court estate in the Tai Po area, burning uncontrollably for almost two days and becoming the city’s deadliest fire in decades. The complex, which was undergoing extensive renovation, housed more than 4,000 residents, many of them elderly and mobility-impaired.
Authorities said the number of people arrested in connection with the tragedy has now risen to 14, with more arrests expected as investigations widen. Most of those detained are consultants, contractors and subcontractors involved in the ongoing renovation works. Thirteen individuals are being investigated on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence, while 12 are also facing a separate corruption probe.
The city’s chief executive, John Lee, said the government would leave “no stone unturned” in seeking accountability.
“I will initiate an independent committee, led by a judge, to investigate the reason the fire started and how it spread so fast,” he said, adding that the government would pursue “systematic reform” of building safety oversight. “No matter who is involved, we will get to the bottom of it,” he stressed.
Death toll and search operations
As of Tuesday, the confirmed death toll stood at 151, with at least 30 people still officially listed as missing. Emergency authorities cautioned that the exact number of victims may never be fully known, as some bodies were burned beyond recognition.
A painstaking search and recovery operation continues at the site. About 600 disaster victim identification specialists have been deployed to comb through every accessible flat, staircase, corridor and rooftop.
“Bodies were found in building corridors, inside apartments, on staircases and even on rooftops,” said police superintendent Cheng Ka-chun, who is leading the identification unit. Officers described working in pitch-dark conditions, as electricity in the damaged towers remains cut off and corridors are blocked by collapsed debris.
By late Monday, searches had been completed in five of the seven towers. However, two severely damaged blocks remain partially inaccessible due to structural instability, raising fears that additional remains may still be trapped inside.
“Since some of the bodies have been reduced to ashes, we don’t rule out that we may not be able to bring all the missing people out,” said Chief Superintendent Karen Tsang of the casualty inquiry unit, who broke down in tears while briefing reporters.
Among the victims were elderly residents, construction workers, a firefighter who was deployed to battle the blaze, and foreign domestic helpers who lived in their employers’ homes. Officials confirmed that at least nine of the deceased domestic workers were from Indonesia and one from the Philippines, based on information provided by their respective consulates.
Substandard materials blamed
Investigators believe that flammable, substandard mesh netting wrapped around bamboo scaffolding enclosing the towers played a critical role in the rapid spread of the fire. The netting is supposed to meet strict fire-retardant standards to prevent exactly such disasters.
Hong Kong’s secretary for security, Chris Tang, said seven out of 20 netting samples taken from the site after the fire failed official fire-safety tests. The faulty mesh allegedly allowed flames to race up the building exteriors, turning the scaffolding into a vertical fire channel and overwhelming residents trying to escape.
Adding to the gravity of the case, anti-corruption investigators allege that some of the suspects deliberately purchased cheaper, non-compliant netting to replace originally installed safety material that had been damaged by a typhoon in July. According to the city’s corruption commissioner, Woo Ying-ming, the group bought enough substandard netting to wrap all eight towers in the complex and selectively applied it only to visibly damaged areas.
Prosecutors further allege that, after a separate fire broke out at another high-rise in October and raised public attention on scaffolding safety, the same group hurriedly purchased a limited amount of compliant, fire-safe netting and installed it only around the ground floors to create the appearance of compliance.
“The suspects are very cunning,” said Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki. “For very little profits, they took the lives of many people.”
In response, the Buildings Department has begun collecting samples from around 300 other construction sites across the city where similar netting is being used, raising the prospect of a citywide safety overhaul.
Additional hazards uncovered
Investigators also identified polystyrene boards — used by contractors to block windows during renovation — as another major factor that accelerated the spread of the flames and toxic smoke. The boards ignited quickly and emitted dense, poisonous fumes that rapidly filled corridors and stairwells, cutting off escape routes within minutes.
Officials said they have already identified at least three other construction sites where the same window-blocking method was being used and ordered the immediate removal of the boards.
City in mourning
Public grief has poured out across Hong Kong since the disaster. On Sunday, hundreds of residents queued for more than a kilometer to lay flowers at a memorial area near the devastated estate. Families, elderly citizens and foreign domestic workers stood silently in long lines, many holding handwritten notes and photographs of loved ones.
“Truth will reveal itself. God bless Hong Kong,” read one message left by a mourner.
Over the past several days, donations exceeding 900 million Hong Kong dollars (about US$115 million) have streamed in from businesses, charities and private citizens. Volunteers have also set up a resource center at the housing complex, distributing food, clothing and daily necessities to survivors who lost everything in the fire.
As funerals begin and survivors struggle to rebuild their lives, pressure is intensifying on authorities to ensure that those responsible for safety failures and alleged corruption face the full force of the law. For many grieving families, the promise of “justice” is now inseparable from the hope that such a tragedy will never be repeated.
