HONG KONG: Thousands of Hongkongers gathered on Sunday to mourn the victims of a devastating high-rise fire that has become the city’s deadliest in more than 75 years. Amid the grief, Beijing delivered strict warnings against any complaints and dissents associated with the catastrophe, reflecting escalating pressures in the city.
Rising death toll and the human cost
Claiming 146 lives, the conflagration at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po has over 40 residents still missing. Police have reported discovering a few victims under staircases and on roofs where they desperately attempted to get away from the blaze. Investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause, but public anger is growing over missed safety warnings and the use of unsafe construction materials.
Mourners formed a line stretching over a kilometre along the canal, leaving white flowers and handwritten notes. The air still carried the acrid smell of smoke four days after the blaze tore through seven of the eight 32-storey towers, all wrapped in scaffolding and green mesh for renovations.
“I can’t accept it,” said 28-year-old Joey Yeung, whose grandmother’s apartment was destroyed. “We’re not asking for anything to be returned, but at least give some justice to the families of the deceased — and those who are still alive.”
Mourning migrant workers and demanding accountability
Among those who died were seven Indonesian domestic workers and a Filipino helper, with dozens more migrant workers still unaccounted for. In the city centre, hundreds of people gathered for outdoor prayers to honour the Filipino community and the lives lost.
In the wake of the tragedy, calls for accountability have surged. Petitions demanding independent investigations and reviews of construction oversight gathered thousands of signatures before authorities shut one down. Another, started by a Tai Po resident abroad, had more than 2,700 supporters by Sunday.
Safety failures and a city in shock
The fire raised long-lasting safety apprehensions at Wang Fuk Court. Residents had complained last year about the flammability of scaffolding mesh and renovation materials but were reassured that the risk was “relatively low.” The fast-moving blaze has left a city in mourning and raised urgent questions about oversight, justice, and how vulnerable communities are protected.
China’s national security authorities issued a warning against exploiting the disaster to reignite unrest, referencing the pro-democracy protests of 2019. “We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors… You will be held accountable and strictly punished,” the statement said.
While rescue operations concluded on Friday, authorities caution that combing through the charred buildings could take three to four weeks. For many families, the wait is excruciating, and the grief — palpable. The misfortune has left Hong Kong not only grief-stricken for the lives lost but questioning how such an adversity could take place and who will be accountable for it.
