"Authorities on Friday afternoon put the death toll at 128 but warned that more charred remains could be found as investigators combed the towers. With at least 150 people still missing from Wednesday's tragedy, the death toll is expected to rise. On Saturday morning, top officials, among them Chief Executive John Lee, stood in silence for three minutes outside the government headquarters."
"Meanwhile, in response to the blaze, China is launching a fire safety inspection campaign for high-rise buildings across the country. The focus of the campaign will be buildings undergoing external wall renovations and interior modifications, the Ministry of Emergency Management said in a statement on Saturday. There will be four key areas of inspection, namely scrutiny of flammable materials used in external wall insulation systems, prohibited construction materials such as bamboo scaffolding, fire safety equipment, and evacuation routes."
"The fire department said it received reports on Wednesday at 2:51 p.m. (0651 GMT) of a fire in the residential complex. It was upgraded to a Number 4 alarm at 3:34 p.m. and as night fell it was declared a five-alarm fire, the highest level. It would go on to burn for more than 40 hours and engulfed seven of the complex's eight buildings before being finally extinguished on Friday morning."
Three days of mourning began as Hong Kong responded to its deadliest fire in decades with at least 128 confirmed dead and more than 150 people missing. Top officials observed three minutes of silence and government flags will fly at half-mast until Monday. The blaze burned for over 40 hours, engulfing seven of eight buildings before being extinguished on Friday morning. Authorities warned that more charred remains could be found as investigators combed the towers. China launched a nationwide inspection campaign targeting external wall renovations, flammable insulation materials, prohibited scaffolding, fire safety equipment, and evacuation routes.
Read at www.dw.com
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