More than 100 people have been killed after a fire spread through a number of tower blocks in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Security Chief Chris Tang said that 128 people had been killed and 79 people had been injured after the blaze broke out and tore through bamboo scaffolding on high-rise buildings in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district.
He added that around 200 people were still unaccounted for, but the recovery mission had wrapped up after emergency service workers spent days battling flames and heavy smoke to try and rescue people.
The Wang Fuk Court housing estate, where more than 4,600 people were living, had been wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh for renovation work when the fire started and quickly spread on Wednesday.
Tang added that 12 firemen have been injured in the rescue efforts, and one is in a serious condition.
During the press conference, he added that the fire alarms in the affected buildings were not working properly.
Police said they had arrested three construction company officials on suspicion of manslaughter for using unsafe materials, including flammable foam boards blocking windows.
The fire is Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze. It’s led to comparisons to Grenfell Tower fire in west London, which killed 72 people in 2017.
While firefighters contained the blaze on Friday and doused the still-smouldering complex, families are searching through photographs taken by emergency service workers for their loved ones.
