Hong Kong mourns victims of blaze as search for remains continues

At least 128 people died and 150 remain missing after the towers housing 4,600 people were engulfed by flames.Published On 29 Nov 2025People in Hong Kong are mourning the deaths of at least 128 people who died in the region’s largest blaze in decades in an eight-apartment residential complex.The flags outside the central government offices were lowered to half-mast on Saturday as Hong Kong leader John Lee, other officials and civil servants, all dressed in black, gathered to pay their respects to those lost at the Wang Fuk Court estate since the fire on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Belarus president becomes only second leader to visit Myanmar since couplist 2 of 3Son of jailed Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’ to plead guilty in US courtlist 3 of 3S African ex-leader Zuma’s daughter quits parliament amid Russia war claimsend of listCondolence books have been set up at 18 points around the former British colony for the public to pay their respects, officials said.At the site of the residential complex, families and mourners gathered to lay flowers.By Friday, only 39 of the victims had been identified, leaving families with the morbid task of looking at the photographs of the deceased taken by rescue workers.Police revised down the number of people unaccounted for to 150 from 200 on Saturday, after confirming with some relatives that they had managed to reconnect with loved ones they initially reported as missing.Authorities declared the end of the search for survivors on Friday, but identification work and search for remains continues, as Lee said the government is setting up a fund with 300 million Hong Kong dollars ($39m) in capital to help the residents.The local community is also pitching in, with hundreds of volunteers mobilising to help the victims, including by distributing food and other essential items. Some of China’s biggest companies have pledged donations as well.