Hong Kong mourns as apartment fire death toll rises to 146

Hong Kong's grief knows no bounds as the death toll from last week's devastating apartment fire continues to rise. As investigators painstakingly search for more victims, a makeshift memorial has grown at the scene of the tragedy, with bouquets of flowers and handwritten notes left by mourners.

The grim task of identifying the dead is being carried out by Hong Kong police's disaster victim identification unit, which has found bodies in apartment units as well as on rooftops. The team is working diligently to recover the remains of those who perished, but the process is slow due to the darkness and cramped conditions inside the buildings.

So far, 30 more victims have been discovered, including some that firefighters had previously located but were unable to retrieve. The total number of fatalities now stands at 146, with over 100 people still unaccounted for and 79 injured.

In a chilling warning, China's national security authorities have issued a stern reminder to individuals against using the disaster as an opportunity to disrupt public order.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it has been revealed that fire codes were likely violated in the construction of the Wang Fuk Court complex, where the tragedy occurred. The eight buildings, which had more than 4,600 residents and almost 2,000 apartments, were clad with bamboo scaffolding draped with nylon netting for renovations.

Hong Kong officials have ordered an immediate suspension of work on 28 building projects undertaken by the same contractor, Prestige Construction + Engineering Company, for safety audits. The company has refused to comment on the matter.

As the city mourns its lost loved ones, residents are being housed in emergency shelters and city hotels while authorities work towards longer-term solutions. For many Hongkongers, the tragedy serves as a wake-up call about fire safety, with some expressing outrage that such precautions were not taken.

The government has announced plans for a nationwide inspection of high-rise buildings to identify and remove fire hazards. It's a move aimed at preventing similar tragedies in the future, but one that may come too late for those who have already lost everything in this devastating disaster.

you know what's been on my mind lately? I was at this food court last weekend and I saw these old video games from like 90s or something just sitting around . And I'm thinking, how did they end up there? Were people just letting them collect dust or was someone trying to be all nostalgic? I mean, I've seen some retro gaming bars in my travels but this food court thing is just weird... anyway, back to the Hong Kong fire disaster...

my heart goes out to all those affected by this tragic event i mean, 146 people is way too many, and it's just heartbreaking thinking about the families who are still searching for their loved ones the whole situation is so frustrating, especially with the construction company refusing to comment on the safety issues what's wrong with them?! shouldn't they be taking responsibility for their actions? i hope the government's plan to inspect high-rise buildings can help prevent something like this from happening again, but it's just too little, too late for those who have already lost so much

146 lives lost is just crazy, and it's only been like 5 days since the fire happened? The death toll keeps rising and it's getting harder to keep track of how many people are still missing... 30 new victims found today, that's heartbreaking. The whole building had bamboo scaffolding and nylon netting?! That's just insane, no wonder it spread so fast . The government needs to do way more than just suspending a few construction projects, they need to make some real changes to their fire safety regulations ASAP . And the fact that there are still 100+ people unaccounted for is just devastating... my heart goes out to all those families and loved ones . The city is going through a really tough time right now, but I'm glad to see so many people coming together to support each other .

man... this is so sad 146 people have lost their lives, it's like the city is still reeling from the shock. I'm so worried about the safety of our buildings, especially with all these new developments popping up everywhere. bamboo scaffolding? nylon netting? what were they thinking?! we need to make sure that our government is taking this seriously and taking action ASAP. suspending 28 building projects isn't enough, we need a more thorough investigation into how this disaster happened. and what's with the contractor refusing to comment? transparency is key in situations like this. my heart goes out to all the families who lost loved ones

I'm telling you, something fishy is going on here... like, what's really gonna happen with all these building inspections? Is it just a cover-up to make the government look good or is it actually gonna do some real good? They're already suspending work on 28 projects, but I bet there are more buildings out there just waiting for their turn. And have you seen those bamboo scaffolding and nylon netting things they used in construction? Like, who uses that stuff? It's a ticking time bomb just waiting to happen! What if this was all just a pre-emptive measure to avoid another disaster so the government could be one step ahead of the game? We'll never know unless we dig deeper...

Ugh, can we please talk about how ridiculous it is to be posting updates on this tragic event on a platform like this? I mean, I know people need to vent or something, but is it really necessary to be sharing every single detail of the investigation and aftermath over and over again? Can't we just have one thread for discussion instead of creating a million different ones? And btw, 146 dead is just heartbreaking, but I'm getting so sick of seeing all these photos of bouquets of flowers and handwritten notes... it's like, yes we get it, people are grieving .

This is just heartbreaking... I keep thinking about my own kids when they were younger and how worried I'd be if anything like this happened to them. The lack of fire safety measures at the construction site is just mind-boggling - 4,600 people living in a complex with bamboo scaffolding and nylon netting? It's like a ticking time bomb waiting to happen .

As a retiree, I've seen some changes over the years, but this tragedy has left me feeling old-fashioned. Where's the sense of responsibility? The accountability? We need better systems in place to prevent such disasters from occurring in the first place. It's not just about building codes or inspections; it's about people and their lives .

I hope these national security authorities are taking this seriously and not just trying to suppress public emotions. We need to come together as a community to demand change and ensure that something like this never happens again .

Ugh, can you even imagine going through something like this?! 146 people dead and over 100 still missing It's crazy to think how many lives were lost because of poor building codes and lax safety measures The fact that the company refused to comment on the issue is just icing on the cake... like, are they even sorry at all?! Anyway, I do hope the government's plan to inspect high-rise buildings sticks and actually makes a difference. We need better fire safety regulations ASAP!

The official 'safety audit' is just code for 'we're gonna kick some companies around and maybe, just maybe, we'll get it right next time'. 28 building projects suspended? That's cute . It's about time someone held those contractors accountable, but it's gonna take a lot more than just a slap on the wrist to prevent these kinds of disasters in the future. We need real change, not just a PR stunt . And another thing, why are they investigating the cause of the fire after all this time? It's like trying to put lipstick on a pig – it might make it look prettier, but it's still gonna be ugly .

Ugh, can't believe all these people are still missing ! I mean, I know it's a tough process identifying the dead and all, but 146 already? That's crazy . And what's with the bamboo scaffolding?! Clearly not up to code, right? It's no wonder this disaster happened. Fire safety regulations should be taken way more seriously.

And those contractors who think they can just ignore safety audits? Not cool, dude . The government needs to step up their game and make sure these types of companies are held accountable. I mean, it's not like it's rocket science or anything . And what really gets me is the fact that people are already expressing outrage over this tragedy... like, isn't this basic common sense?

my heart goes out to all the victims & their families... 146+ people gone and it's still not over yet the lack of fire safety measures is just heartbreaking bamboo scaffolding? nylon netting? come on these are basic precautions that should've been taken

anyway, the government's plan to inspect high-rise buildings might be a good start but we need more concrete steps like stricter building codes & enforcement and lets not forget about the contractor Prestige Construction + Engineering Company... how could they be so reckless?

the makeshift memorial is a great way to show support for the victims' families, but we need more than just flowers & notes let's talk about action

Ugh, this is so heartbreaking ... My heart goes out to all the families affected by this tragedy . I mean, 146 people already lost their lives and over 100 still unaccounted for? It's like, what were they thinking with that bamboo scaffolding and nylon netting combo?! Construction safety should always be number one! #JusticeForHongKong #FireSafetyMatters #WakeUpCall

I'm so tired of hearing about buildings being renovated without proper checks... When will we learn from our mistakes? And now, the government is finally taking action by ordering inspections and suspending work on more projects. Better late than never, right? Hopefully they'll do something concrete to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again #HongKongStrong #SafetyFirst

I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened . 146 people lost their lives in such a horrific fire and I keep thinking about all the families who are left with nothing but pain and grief . The thought of those 30 new victims being discovered is just heartbreaking, especially since firefighters had already found some of them but couldn't get to them in time .

It's crazy that we're still hearing about fire safety regulations not being followed . I mean, come on, people! We should've learned from this tragedy and taken the necessary precautions to prevent something like this from happening again . And now we'll have to live with the consequences for years to come . At least the government is taking steps to look into it and maybe some changes will be made in the future .

man oh man... 146 ppl already gone this is just not right they should've taken safety precautions seriously, it's like they were just expecting a miracle to happen and now ppl are left with nothing but ashes and tears emergency shelters and hotels won't cut it, they need proper housing ASAP and what's with the contractor refusing to comment? transparency is key here we need answers, not just empty words

my heart is breaking thinking about all those ppl trapped inside that building it's just so cruel fire safety laws are meant to protect us from situations like this & it's mind-boggling that they were ignored or not enforced properly the fact that 146 people have lost their lives is just devastating I feel so angry too but at the same time, it's hard to express those feelings without being bitter the worst part is that it's gonna take a while for authorities to find all the victims & bring justice to the families of those who perished