Hong Kong apartment fire death toll rises to 128 with 8 more arrests

Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Eight more people were arrested as and the death toll rose to 128 and up to 200 people missing in the Hong Kong, China, apartment complex fire.

The fire began in public housing in the city's Tai Po neighborhood at 2:51 p.m. local time Wednesday, affecting eight buildings.

Also, 79 people were injured, including 12 firefighters, at eight hospitals, South China Morning News reported. About 56 remain in hospitals.

Those rescued included an elderly man.

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Most of the dead were found in Wang Cheong House and Wang Tai House, Derek Armstrong Chan, the deputy director of Hong Kong Fire Services, said.

People were trapped inside and authorities expected the death toll to grow.

The fire surpasses the previous most deadly fire since 1996 when 41 died in the 16-story Garley commercial building fire, CNN reported.

People have gathered at the Kwong Fuk sitting-out area as a makeshift memorial for the victims.

Movie star Tony Leung and his wife Carina Lau have donated $257,120 to the emergency fund set up by the Community Chest to help fire victims.

Donated items and free services were provided for displaced residents.

National and Hong Kong flags at all government sites, including offices abroad, will fly at half-mast between Saturday and Monday. There will be three minutes of silence at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Most of the firefighters' efforts had wrapped up by Thursday night. They had been illuminated by firefighting equipment.

The alarms were "not functional" after inspections, Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung said. It wasn't clear if they were working during the inferno.

"On this, we will take law enforcement action," Yeung said.

On Friday, the latest arrests were two directors of a consultancy firm advising on maintenance work, two project managers responsible for supervising the works, three scaffolding subcontractors and an intermediary.

Earlier, three men working for a construction company were arrested on suspicion of "gross negligence," officials said.

CNN reported the city, which is dominated by skyscrapers, has a strong public safety record and construction requirements.

For the third night, displaced residents were at temporary shelters. In all, there were 4,000 residents.

Residents affected by the fire will receive a $6,400 living allowance.

Some were seeking information about their missing loved ones.

Family members of those who died will receive about $25,700 from the government, Alice Mak, Hong Kong's secretary for home and youth affairs, said Friday.

Authorities believe the blaze began on the lower floors of the Wang Cheong House, or Block 6.

Wang Fuk Court was undergoing renovations since July 2024 with all eight buildings wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green protective meshing.

"It ignited the mesh nets [and] quickly spread to the polystyrene boards around the windows, resulting in the fire in other floors and buildings," Hong Kong's Secretary for Security Chris Tang said, noting the mesh units didn't comply with safety standards.

"After the polystyrene caught fire, the high temperature caused windows to shatter, causing the fire to spread indoors."

Temperatures reached above 930 degrees Fahrenheit, Tang said.

The flammable polystyrene boards blocked some windows at the apartment complex.