Hong Kong Arrests 13 Suspects Over Deadly High-Rise Blaze, as Death Toll Hits 151

The official death toll for the fire that engulfed an apartment complex in Hong Kong rose to 151 on Dec. 1, with authorities confirming 13 people had been arrested for manslaughter in relation to the blaze.

The Hong Kong Police Force said in a press conference that as of 4 p.m. local time it had recovered eight bodies from the Wang Fuk Court complex, including three previously found by the Fire Services Department, according to a series of posts on the police force’s Facebook page.

“Some of the bodies have turned into ash, therefore we might not be able to locate all missing individuals,” police official Tsang Shuk-yin told reporters during the press conference.

More than 40 people are still missing.

Police also confirmed in a series of replies to its post on Facebook that so far, 13 people—12 men and one woman—aged between 43 and 77 have been arrested for manslaughter. Those arrested include major contractors, engineering consultants, and scaffolding sub-contractors, authorities said.

They added that a large number of computers and documents had been seized from the suspects’ offices and homes.

Officials overseeing the investigation said that tests on several samples of a green mesh that was wrapped around bamboo scaffolding on the buildings at the time of the fire did not meet fire retardant standards.

They also said that foam insulation used by contractors had fanned the flames. Fire alarms at the complex were also not working properly, authorities said.

Wang Fuk Court is in the Tai Po district in the New Territories and was constructed in the 1980s. It consists of eight towers with nearly 2,000 units and an estimated population of 4,800. Many of its residents are elderly.

The fire began on Nov. 26 and engulfed seven of the eight towers, sending flames and smoke billowing out of windows. By the early hours of Nov. 28, local time, the fire was mostly contained.

The disaster is one of the worst in the city’s history.

Warning From Beijing

Work on 28 other building projects by the same contractor—Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. (PC&E)—has been immediately suspended amid safety audits, Hong Kong officials announced late on Nov. 29.

“The five alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po, exposed serious deficiencies of PC&E in site safety management, including the extensive use of foam boards to block up windows during building repairs,” the government said in a statement.

Multiple petitions have surfaced in recent days demanding a full investigation of what transpired and triggered the massive fire.

China’s national security authority issued a warning on Nov. 29, threatening to take a “hard stance” against any “disruptive” actions resulting from the disaster.

Hong Kong police arrested one man who helped launch an online petition demanding government accountability for the blaze.

According to multiple local media outlets, university student Miles Kwan was questioned by the Hong Kong Police National Security Department and later arrested after he started an online petition calling for an independent investigation into the fire.

Kwan’s petition laid out four demands: secure housing for survivors, establish an independent inquiry, review construction-safety oversight, and hold government officials accountable for regulatory failures.

Kwan was seen leaving Cheung Sha Wan Division police station on Dec. 1, Hong Kong Free Press reported, citing the AFP news agency.

Jacob Burg, Michael Zhuang, and Reuters contributed to this report.