At least 128 people have now been confirmed dead in the Hong Kong tower block inferno, authorities said on Thursday, as rescue teams completed firefighting operations and shifted fully into recovery.
At a press briefing, officials added that 16 bodies remain inside the charred high-rise, where firefighters are still conducting painstaking searches through collapsed sections and tangled bamboo scaffolding.
Hong Kong Police announced that senior Fire Services Department officials will address the media at 07:00 GMT (15:00 local time) with further updates on the conditions inside the building and ongoing forensic work.
Authorities confirmed that three construction company executives have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, after investigators found that materials on the exterior of the tower were not fireproof, potentially accelerating the spread of the blaze.
The disaster has ignited widespread public anger.
“This was preventable,” one resident said, voicing frustration over long-ignored safety lapses in the building’s maintenance and repair works.
Footage was analysed of the fire’s initial stages as questions mount over how the blaze began, why it spread so rapidly, and whether regulatory failures contributed to the scale of the tragedy.
Meanwhile, heartbreak continues to ripple across the city. The girlfriend of the firefighter who died in the operation said he was “my superhero,” paying emotional tribute to his bravery.
Families of missing persons are still gathered near the site, anxiously awaiting confirmation of whether their loved ones are among the recovered victims, as the devastated high-rise remains sealed off for investigation.
The bamboo scaffolding that once encased the exterior is now a twisted, blackened skeleton a stark reminder of one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires in decades.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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