146 Dead and 40 Missing After Public Housing Complex Burns

Hong Kong is reeling from its deadliest disaster in generations. A raging inferno tore through a public housing complex, killing at least 146 people and leaving more than 40 still missing. The fire has stunned one of the world’s densest cities and reignited questions about corruption and safety in its construction industry.

Witnesses say flames engulfed the Wang Fuk Court towers within minutes after breaking out Wednesday afternoon in the Tai Po district. Each of the eight residential towers stood more than 30 stories tall.

“I could hear people screaming from the windows,” said Ming Chan, 42, who lives nearby. “It was like watching hell fall from the sky.”

Authorities believe bamboo scaffolding and plastic sheeting—used during ongoing renovations—helped spread the fire faster than anyone imagined.

Firefighters battled the blaze for more than 10 hours. By dawn, the sky was black with smoke and ash.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee declared a three-day mourning period, ordering flags at half-mast and all public celebrations canceled. On Saturday, officials dressed in black bowed their heads in silence as Lee vowed accountability.

“This is a heartbreaking tragedy,” he said. “We owe our people the truth about why it happened—and who allowed it.”

Books of condolence were placed across the city. Residents lined up outside community centers, clutching flowers and photos of missing loved ones.

Police teams wearing white hazmat suits and oxygen masks combed through the blackened towers over the weekend. Some bodies were found in stairwells and on rooftops—where residents had desperately tried to escape.

As of Sunday, only 39 victims had been identified.

Among the dead were six Indonesian domestic workers and at least one Filipino, officials confirmed. With hundreds of migrant workers living in the area, embassies are scrambling to track survivors.

At least 11 people have been arrested, including two directors of Prestige Construction, the firm that managed renovations at the housing estate. Investigators allege unsafe materials—like flammable foam panels—were used to block windows during repairs.

The city’s anti-corruption watchdog also detained an engineering consultant, a scaffolding subcontractor, and several intermediaries in connection with alleged kickbacks and safety violations.

“We suspect the fire was made worse by greed,” said Police Commissioner Raymond Siu. “Some chose profit over human life.”

Donations have poured in. Hong Kong’s government set up a $4 million emergency fund for survivors, while major Chinese corporations pledged millions more. Volunteers have turned parking lots into makeshift relief camps, handing out food, blankets, and diapers to displaced families.

“We’ve been cooking hot meals all night,” said volunteer Li Ka-yee, 29. “These people lost everything—they shouldn’t have to lose their dignity, too.”

The disaster has drawn comparisons to London’s 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people and exposed unsafe building practices.

“This could be Hong Kong’s Grenfell moment,” said Dr. Elaine Wu, an architecture safety expert. “We’re seeing the tragic consequences of systemic neglect.”

Beijing has ordered nationwide inspections of high-rise buildings, focusing on flammable insulation materials and renovation safety. “We must protect lives and prevent such tragedies from happening again,” China’s emergency management ministry said in a statement.

For survivors, grief is turning to rage. Outside a local shelter, a man clutching a photo of his mother shouted at officials: “She called me saying smoke was filling the hallways. Nobody came for her.”

In Hong Kong’s modern history, few events have shaken the city so deeply. The last fire of comparable scale was in 1948, when 176 people died in a Shek Kip Mei warehouse blaze.

Now, 77 years later, the city’s skyline is once again scarred by tragedy—and haunted by unanswered questions.

Source: [Reuters / Associated Press / Local Hong Kong Reports]