Hong Kong mourns as apartment blaze death toll rises to 146

The death toll in Hong Kong’s apartment complex fire has risen to 146 after investigators discovered more bodies in the burnt-out buildings. A steady stream of people placed bouquets of flowers at an ever-growing makeshift memorial at the scene of the disaster, among the worst in the city’s history.The Hong Kong police’s disaster victim identification unit has been going through the buildings of the Wang Fuk Court complex meticulously and has found bodies both in apartment units and on the roofs, the officer in charge, Cheng Ka-chun, said on Sunday.A mourner holding a flower at a makeshift memorial near Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong. Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/ZUMA Press Wire/ShutterstockThe buildings remained structurally sound, but the search had been slow, Cheng told reporters, still wearing his white coveralls with his hard hat and respiratory mask at his side. “It is so dark inside, and because of the low light, it is very difficult to do the work, especially in places away from the windows.”So far the team has examined four of the seven blocks, Cheng said.The latest searches had turned up another 30 bodies, including 12 that had already been discovered by firefighters but had not been recovered, said Tsang Shuk-yin, the head of the Hong Kong police casualty unit.A further 100 people were unaccounted for and 79 had been injured, Tsang said.On Sunday, well-wishers at the scene bowed and said short prayers, or left handwritten notes among the flowers.People line up to lay flowers near Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po on Sunday. Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock“This really serves as a wake-up call for everyone, especially with these super high-rise buildings,” said Lian Shuzheng, who waited in a line of hundreds of people to add her flowers to the growing cluster.People have also donated supplies to those who lost everything in the fire, which started on Wednesday and took until Friday to extinguish fully.The cause is still to be determined. Authorities are keen to avoid any broader public backlash after pro-democracy protests roiled the city in 2019, leading to a Beijing-imposed national security law.China’s national security authorities on Saturday warned individuals against using the disaster to disrupt the city: “We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors who attempt to ‘disrupt Hong Kong through disaster’. No matter what methods you use, you will certainly be held accountable and strictly punished under the Hong Kong national security law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.”Mourners outside Sha Tin fire station where the firefighter killed in the Wang Fuk Court fire was stationed Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/ZUMA Press Wire/ShutterstockThe eight buildings of the Wang Fuk Court complex in the suburb of Tai Po had all been clad in bamboo scaffolding draped with nylon netting for renovations, with windows covered by polystyrene panels. Authorities were investigating whether fire codes had been violated.Hong Kong officials announced late on Saturday they had ordered the immediate suspension of work on 28 building projects undertaken by the same contractor, the Prestige Construction + Engineering Company, for safety audits.“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.The company did not answer calls on Sunday for comment.The apartment complex of eight 31-storey buildings in Tai Po, a suburb near Hong Kong’s border with mainland China, was built in the 1980s. It had almost 2,000 apartments and more than 4,600 residents. Residents pay tribute to the victims of the fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Sunday. Photograph: China News Service/Getty ImagesMany people are being housed in short-term emergency shelters or city hotels, and authorities are working on longer-term solutions.“It’s heartbreaking,” said Jeffery Chan, a civil servant who came to pay his respects on Sunday. “As a Hongkonger, seeing people in the place where we live lose their families, lose everything in just one night – if you put yourself in their shoes, it is unbearable. They need encouragement, support and help from the people of Hong Kong.”In Beijing, the ministry of emergency management announced a nationwide inspection of high-rise buildings to identify and remove fire hazards.“Bamboo scaffolding, non-flame-retardant safety nets … and firefighting facilities and equipment such as fire hydrant systems, automatic sprinkler systems and automatic fire alarm systems, will be among the main items to be inspected,” the ministry said.The Wang Fuk Court fire is the worst on record in Hong Kong since a warehouse blaze in 1948 killed 176 people.Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report