Hong Kong apartment block fire death toll jumps to 128, officials warn could rise further

By Chris Lau, Samra Zulfaqar, Helen Regan, CNN

Hong Kong (CNN) — The number of people killed in the devastating Hong Kong apartment complex fire has risen to 128 with as many as 200 missing, officials said Friday, as firefighters finally brought the blaze under control 42 hours after it ignited.

At least 79 people were injured in the inferno that rapidly spread through multiple buildings in a public housing estate in the city’s Tai Po neighborhood, Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang said during a press conference Friday.

Tang warned the death toll could rise further as there are about 200 people whose situation is unknown. That figure included a number of dead bodies yet to be identified, he added.

The blaze – Hong Kong’s deadliest in decades – has sent shock waves through the skyscraper-filled city, which has a usually strong public safety record and construction standards.

Displaced residents and survivors, many of whom faced a third night in temporary shelters on Friday, are asking how such a disaster could happen, while others were waiting in desperation to hear whether their missing loved ones are among those killed.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined and a police investigation into why the blaze quickly spread from building to building, turning a single tower block fire into multiple simultaneous multi-story infernos, is expected to take three to four weeks, he said.

Authorities believe the initial blaze started on the lower floors of Wang Cheong House, Block 6 of eight towers that make up Wang Fuk Court, a tightly packed complex that was home to more than 4,000 people, many of them elderly.

Wang Fuk Court was undergoing renovations at the time of the fire, and all eight towers were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green protective meshing. Police previously found the construction company name on flammable polystyrene boards that firefighters found blocking some windows at the apartment complex.

“It ignited the mesh nets (and) quickly spread to the polystyrene boards around the windows, resulting in the fire in other floors and buildings,” Tang said.

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

As the mesh nets and bamboo scaffolding caught fire and fell, it spread the fire to other floors, Tang said. Firefighters and residents faced extreme conditions inside the building, with temperatures reaching above 500 degrees Celsius (930 degrees Fahrenheit), he added.

Tang said the mesh nets did comply with safety standards.

Fire rescue efforts were further complicated as some units inside the buildings reignited, even after their flames had been extinguished by firefighters.

Fire alarms in all eight buildings of the complex were “not functional,” officials found during inspections carried out after the blaze, according to Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung. It was not clear if the alarm system was operational on the day of the fire, though residents previously told CNN their building alarm did not ring.

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

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