Hong Kong Fire: 94 Dead, Search for Missing Persons Concludes in the Rubble
Title: Hong Kong Fire: 94 Dead, Search for Missing Persons Concludes in the Rubble
Content: Families in anguish over the many individuals still unaccounted for after Hong Kong's worst fire in decades scoured hospitals on Friday in search of their loved ones, while firefighters completed their inspection of the last apartments in the residential complex where at least 94 residents perished.
The 31-story buildings of the Wang Fuk Court complex, currently under renovation, were still emitting some smoke, remnants of the massive blaze that engulfed the towers on Wednesday afternoon, as noted by AFP journalists.
These journalists observed rescue workers loading at least four body bags, reportedly containing remains recovered from the rubble, into the back of vehicles. Additional body bags were unloaded at the Sha Tin morgue, approximately 30 minutes away from the residential complex, according to AFP's findings.
Authorities plan to allow relatives to identify their loved ones at Sha Tin starting at 2:00 PM local time (6:00 AM GMT), an AFP journalist on-site reported.
After gaining control of the fire in seven out of eight affected buildings, firefighters, mobilized in large numbers day and night for two days, aimed to have entered all apartments by the morning, even if it meant forcing access, said Armstrong Chan, the deputy director of the fire services.
On Thursday evening, authorities confirmed the death toll had risen to 94, including one firefighter, marking the deadliest fire in Hong Kong since 1948. An undetermined number of individuals remain missing.
The tragedy has resulted in countless heartbreaking accounts of the ordeal faced during the inferno and the panic or at the time of victim identification.
Ms. Wong, 38, tearfully recounted her search through hospitals for her sister-in-law and her sister-in-law's twin sister.
On Thursday, she and her sister attended an identification operation based on photos of the victims but found no success. "I have a fragile heart and did not think I could look at the photos" of her loved ones if they had passed, she shared.
She regained some hope upon hearing about unidentified victims admitted to intensive care at Prince of Wales Hospital.
But "we still have no news," she lamented.
The disaster has sent shockwaves through the Special Administrative Region of China, highlighting its vulnerability due to its density, and has sparked a wide wave of solidarity.
It has also prompted a review of construction conditions and a promise for a corruption investigation. The use of bamboo scaffolding and the employment of easily flammable synthetic materials likely accelerated the fire's spread.
More than 50 individuals remain hospitalized, with 12 in critical condition and 28 in serious condition.
Residents of the nearly 2,000-unit complex, inaugurated in 1983 in the Tai Po district of northern Hong Kong, told AFP that they heard no fire alarms and had to knock on doors to warn their neighbors.
"The fire spread so quickly..." said a man named Suen. "Ring the bell and knock on doors, telling them to escape - that’s how it was," he recounted.
The police announced the arrest of three men, suspected of 'gross negligence,' following the discovery of flammable materials left behind during construction that allowed the fire to "spread rapidly" in strong winds. The exact level of their involvement in starting the fire remains unclear.
Chief Executive John Lee announced an inspection of all major renovation sites in the city. Hong Kong's Deputy Government Chief Eric Chan deemed it "imperative to accelerate the complete transition to metal scaffolding."
The fire could also impact the awarding and execution of building contracts.
"Given the immense public outcry, a task force has been established to launch a thorough investigation into possible corruption in the large renovation project at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po," stated the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong in a press release.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club, a century-old institution, announced on Friday that its races on Sunday in Sha Tin would be held behind closed doors, and jockeys would wear black armbands as a sign of mourning.
Hong Kong, with a population of 7.5 million, has an average density of over 7,100 inhabitants per square kilometer, and up to three times that in the most urbanized areas.
Due to the territory's limited space, a proliferation of residential towers with over 50 floors has been constructed.
