Greater than a yr earlier than an enormous blaze tore by means of the Wang Fuk Courtroom housing property in Hong Kong, residents had raised an alarm over the usage of flammable building supplies throughout ongoing renovation works. Their issues, largely dismissed on the time, have now resurfaced on the centre of a widening investigation into one in every of Hong Kong’s worst fireplace disasters in a long time.
The inferno, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon and quickly unfold throughout seven of the advanced’s eight high-rise towers, has up to now claimed not less than 128 lives. Officers stated not less than 79 folks have been injured, together with 12 firefighters, whereas round 200 residents are nonetheless lacking. Authorities say the blaze erupted on bamboo scaffolding and protecting netting put in for large-scale repairs on the ageing property, earlier than spreading swiftly on account of extremely flammable polystyrene boards and foam panels positioned round home windows.Hearth alarms in all eight buildings had been discovered to be malfunctioning, leaving residents with no warning because the flames engulfed their houses.Warnings ignored, accountability questionedResidents had alerted the Hong Kong Labour Division as early as September 2024, elevating issues about fireplace hazards linked to the scaffolding netting and foam supplies. Emails present officers first claimed there have been no particular rules masking flame-retardant requirements for such netting. They later assured residents that the supplies met security necessities, citing certificates submitted by the contractor, as reported by The New York Instances. Authorities now acknowledge that the froth boards had been extremely flammable and accelerated the hearth’s unfold. Safety Secretary Chris Tang stated the blaze generated excessive temperatures and induced scaffolding to break down, blocking exits and hampering rescue makes an attempt.Three males related to the renovation, together with the administrators and a marketing consultant of the development firm had been arrested on Thursday on suspicion of manslaughter and gross negligence.On Friday, the Impartial Fee Towards Corruption (ICAC) arrested eight extra folks, together with engineering consultants, scaffolding subcontractors and an middleman, over suspected corruption linked to the mission. Officers are inspecting whether or not substandard supplies had been knowingly used and whether or not fraud might have been concerned in security certifications.Hong Kong mourns as search efforts proceedA 3-day official mourning interval started on Saturday, with Chief Government John Lee main senior officers in observing a second of silence as flags flew at half-mast. Grief-stricken households proceed to go looking hospitals and sufferer identification centres for lacking family members.Aid centres and emergency shelters are housing practically 900 displaced residents, whereas authorities warn the loss of life toll might rise additional as groups comb by means of charred items for stays.The tragedy has sparked pressing requires stronger security oversight, notably in older public housing blocks present process renovation. Nationwide inspections of scaffolding and building supplies are actually underway.As Hong Kong confronts its deadliest blaze since 1948, grieving residents proceed to ask why clear warnings went unheeded and whether or not this devastation may have been prevented.