Beijing/Hong Kong, Nov 28: Firefighting, rescue and search operations at seven high-rise buildings in Hong Kong were halted on Friday, the third day after a massive blaze broke out, as the death toll climbed to 128 with over 200 still missing.
The Hong Kong Police have launched an investigation into how the cluster of buildings, housing about 4,600 residents in 1,984 apartments, caught fire.
Firefighting, rescue and search operations were completed at 10 am local time, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government told a press conference.
The death toll so far in the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po stood at 128, Chris Tang Ping-keung, secretary for security of the HKSAR government, said.
It cannot be ruled out that more bodies may be recovered when the police enter the scene for investigation later, he was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Over 200 people remain unaccounted for, Tang said, as families of the missing persons anxiously wait for the news about their loved ones.
Meanwhile, eight people, including a woman, who were connected with the renovation work of the buildings, were arrested by Hong Kong’s anti-corruption body.
A total of 391 fire engine sorties, 185 ambulance sorties, and 2,311 fire and ambulance personnel were deployed during the three-day operation, officials said. One firefighter died, and 12 were injured.
Tang said the Hong Kong Police Force will conduct full evidence collection and investigation, which is expected to take three to four weeks.
The cause of the fire has not been identified, but Styrofoam outside windows is suspected to have fuelled its rapid spread, the BBC reported.
Survivors complained that fire alarms did not function, due to which the residents got no early warning.
Tang said the fire first broke out in the lower-level perimeter nets of Wang Cheong House, igniting foam boards and spreading rapidly to other buildings. This caused the glass to shatter, the fire to intensify sharply and spread indoors, resulting in a disaster with large-scale simultaneous ignition.
High temperatures burned the bamboo scaffolding, and falling burning bamboo pieces set fire to other scaffolding nets, he said.
With the buildings completely gutted, survivors have been relocated to 1,000 vacant flats nearby.
The HKSAR government has announced a “condolence payment” of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars (approx USD 25,693) to the family of each victim. A living allowance of 50,000 Hong Kong dollars per household will be disbursed from next week, the Xinhua report said.
The HKSAR government has also rolled out an emergency cash grant of 10,000 Hong Kong dollars to each affected household since Thursday evening to meet their urgent needs. (PTI)
