The number of people killed in the devastating Hong Kong apartment complex fire has risen to 128 with as many as 200 missing, officials said Friday, as authorities announced eight more arrests over the blaze,
CNN reports.
The inferno rapidly spread in a public housing estate in the city’s Tai Po neighborhood on Wednesday, trapping people inside. With authorities warning the toll will likely rise further, focus is turning to what caused the territory’s worst fire in decades.
Fire alarms in all eight buildings of the complex were “not functional,” officials found during inspections carried out after the blaze, according to Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung. It was not clear if the alarm system was operational on the day of the fire, though residents previously told CNN their building alarm did not ring.
“On this, we will take law enforcement action,” Yeung said.
Eight people were arrested on Friday as part of ongoing investigations, the city’s anti-corruption body, including two directors of a consultancy firm that was advising on maintenance works at the complex, two project managers responsible for supervising the works, three scaffolding subcontractors and an intermediary.
Three men working for a construction company were also arrested earlier this week on suspicion of “gross negligence,” officials said Thursday morning local time.
The blaze has sent shock waves through the skyscraper-filled city, which has a usually strong public safety record and construction standards.
Displaced residents and survivors, many of whom faced a third night in temporary shelters on Friday, are asking how such a disaster could happen, while others were waiting in desperation to hear whether their missing loved ones are among those killed.
