Hong Kong begins three days of mourning after deadly apartment fires

"An outpouring of grief was set to sweep Hong Kong on Saturday as an official, three-day mourning period began with a moment of silence for the 128 people killed in one of the city's deadliest fires. City leader John Lee, along with senior ministers and dozens of top civil servants, stood in silence for three minutes on Saturday morning outside the government headquarters, where the flags of China and Hong Kong were flown at half-mast."

"Families have been combing hospitals and victim identification stations hoping to find their loved ones, with about 200 people still listed as missing and 89 bodies unidentified. On Friday, the city's anti-corruption watchdog arrested eight people in connection with the blaze, the world's worst residential building fire since 1980. Flames had spread quickly through the housing estate in the city's northern Tai Po district on Wednesday afternoon, engulfing seven of the eight high-rises in the densely packed complex."

"Authorities said the cause was yet to be determined, but preliminary investigations suggested the fire started on protective netting on the lower floors of one of the towers and that highly flammable foam boards, as well as bamboo scaffolding, had contributed to its spread. The fire services chief, Andy Yeung, said they discovered that alarm systems in all eight apartment blocks were malfunctioning, and vowed action against the contractors."

Hong Kong began a three-day mourning period with a three-minute moment of silence for 128 people killed in a residential fire. City leader John Lee and senior officials stood outside government headquarters with flags at half-mast. Citizens placed flowers near the charred shell of Wang Fuk Court and condolence points were set up across the city. Families are combing hospitals and victim identification stations; about 200 people remain listed as missing and 89 bodies are unidentified. Authorities arrested eight people in connection with the blaze. Flames engulfed seven of eight high-rises at the Tai Po housing estate and burned for more than 40 hours. Preliminary investigations suggested the fire started on protective netting and spread due to highly flammable foam boards and bamboo scaffolding, while alarm systems in all eight blocks were discovered to be malfunctioning.

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