The inferno that sent seven of the eight residential towers of Wang Fuk Court, in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong , up in smoke, with the death toll rising hour by hour to 94 in the latest update , is now also the subject of an investigation to clarify the hypothesis of "possible corruption in the major renovation works", while three arrests have been made.
In the worst fire in Hong Kong since 1948 (when an explosion and flames killed 135 people), the latest evening bulletin estimated 94 dead and 78 injured, but the number of missing remains high and, according to local media, could reach 300.
Rescue efforts gained momentum after firefighters rescued a man on the sixteenth-floor stairs of Wang Tao House, within the complex. A miracle, according to local media reports. The heavy burden of nearly 300 missing remains: each tower has 31 floors, for a total of 1,984 apartments and 4,600 residents, according to a 2021 census, but it's unclear how many people were in the buildings when the fire broke out.
According to the Farnesina, there were no Italian citizens among the victims or injured.
Meanwhile, police arrested three men, aged between 52 and 68, in the early hours of Thursday: a technical consultant and two construction company executives facing manslaughter charges. At a press conference in the early hours of the morning, Chief Superintendent Eileen Chung said that firefighters suspected that, rather than the traditional bamboo scaffolding that was largely left standing, the protective netting, mesh, and plastic sheeting installed on the buildings for renovations starting in 2024 did not comply with fire safety requirements. Chung added that officers found polystyrene panels outside the elevator lobby windows on every floor of the only building that escaped the fire. This protection was to prevent debris from breaking the windows. "But everyone knows that expanded polystyrene is a flammable material that can accelerate the spread of a fire," the superintendent noted, citing "gross negligence."
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has announced that it has launched an investigation into the Wang Fuk Court project and renovation work , aiming to establish a "special task force" to clarify the possibility of "corruption in the major renovation work."
An independent committee from the Building Bureau has collected samples of building materials from Wang Fuk Court, the governor added. He announced a HK$10,000 (just over €1,000) grant to all families affected by the tragedy as a first aid measure. A €200 million fund has also been established for more structured support.
(Unioneonline)
