Hong Kong arrest 13 suspects in high-rise fire probe as death toll hits 151

Hong Kong authorities have arrested 13 people on suspicion of manslaughter as part of the investigation into the city’s deadliest fire in decades.

According to Reuters, substandard repair materials have been identified as the cause of the blaze, which claimed at least 151 lives.

Police continue to comb through the seven towers in the Wang Fuk Court residential complex, ravaged by the November 26 fire. Bodies of residents trapped while trying to escape were found in stairwells and on rooftops. More than 40 people remain missing.

“Some bodies were reduced to ashes, so we may not be able to recover all the missing,” police representative Chung Shuk Yin said on December 1, visibly emotional.

Tests on several samples of the green netting used to wrap the scaffolding during renovations showed that they did not meet fire-resistance standards, officials leading the investigation said.

Contractors reportedly used these substandard materials in hard-to-reach areas, effectively hiding them from inspectors, Chief Secretary Eric Chan added.

Officials also noted that foam insulation used by the contractors accelerated the flames, while the fire alarm system in the complex was not functioning properly.

By Khagan Isayev