The city's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an separate inquiry panel to probe the origins of a catastrophic blaze that claimed the lives of 151 people.
Last Wednesday, seven of eight apartment buildings at the housing complex—which had been undergoing extensive renovations—were engulfed by fire. A probe subsequently revealed that protective netting installed on the buildings failed to meet flame retardant standards.
A minimum of 13 people have been detained on suspicion of alleged culpable homicide, including the directors of a construction company.
"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a big fire. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in multiple areas. This is precisely the reason we must respond rigorously to guarantee all these gaps are plucked," stated the leader.
The fire—which spread quickly both vertically and across the separate towers—was only fully doused by Friday morning, some 40 hours after it ignited, and required in excess of 2,000 firefighters to bring under control.
On that day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. Officials state the inquiry could require approximately a month.
Multiple inhabitants have reported they failed to hear a emergency siren when the blaze erupted. The city's fire department discovered that detection devices in every tower were not working effectively.
Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now works on three dozen private developments.
In a related development, officers took into custody a 24-year-old man on suspicion of sedition on Saturday. He was part of a group demanding an independent inquiry into the fire. An online petition gathered over 10,000 signatures in less than a day before its page was taken down.
Another two individuals, including a ex-local representative, were also detained by police, according to news outlets.
The rights group and Another watchdog have both denounced the reported arrests.
"This is the occasion for the city's officials to transparently investigate the causes of the tragic incident...rather than muzzling those who raise appropriate concerns," stated the organization.
Wang Fuk Court was built in the early 1980s and had provided 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 occupants, based on a 2021 government census.
Approximately 40 percent of its residents are thought to be older than 65 years of age. Some have lived in the public housing complex since it was built.
The city's second-most fatal incident on in history claimed 176 people in 1948 and was the result of a detonation at street level at a multi-story storage facility. The most deadly was at a local racetrack in 1918, when in excess of 600 people died.
