A charred air conditioner hangs from a broken window frame in Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court. The once-yellow walls are now stained with smoke. Debris, ash and burnt metal cover the floor. What began as a small fire on Wednesday afternoon quickly grew into an inferno. Flames swept through eight residential towers and turned the complex into one of the deadliest housing fires since 1980.
Police said the death toll has reached 146. More bodies may still be inside the damaged buildings. Search teams are moving through flats, staircases and rooftops. Their work remains slow because the interiors collapsed in several places.
Images released by police show Disaster Victim Identification Unit officers digging through debris. One officer wears full protective gear with a helmet and a shovel as he clears the rubble. Another image shows a blackened wall and a pair of red slippers that belonged to a resident.
Mourners gathered across Hong Kong on Sunday. They placed flowers, toys and handwritten messages near the towers. One message read, “Never Forget Never Forgive.”
Questions now surround the building’s renovation materials. Reports suggest Styrofoam and bamboo scaffolding may have intensified the blaze. An interdepartmental task force is investigating the cause. Authorities have arrested 11 people so far. Fourteen survivors remain in critical condition.
