15 h. ago Hong Kong’s religious communities unite in prayer to mourn Tai Po fire victims

About 4,000 Muslims from Hong Kong gathered on Friday to pray for and offer condolences to the victims of the Tai Po fire, while other religious groups held prayer meetings to show spiritual support. The Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong held a special prayer session at 1.30pm at Kowloon Mosque in Tsim Sha Tsui to pay respect to the victims. The blaze at Wang Fuk Court killed at least 159 people. Among them were nine Indonesian domestic helpers and one Filipino...

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26 h. ago Residents of Hong Kong estates told to suspend renovation work wonder what next

Hundreds of property owners in Hong Kong are grappling with uncertainties after 29 private buildings and estates were ordered to suspend renovation work carried out by a contractor linked to the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court and two other firms. Residents at three of the estates told the Post they had already spent millions of Hong Kong dollars on the projects and were now uncertain whether the work was proper or how long the delay would last, with some struggling to choose a new...

Economics

26 h. ago ‘I’m worried’: residents of Hong Kong estates in limbo after renovation suspended

Hundreds of property owners in Hong Kong are grappling with uncertainties after 29 private buildings and estates were ordered to suspend renovation work carried out by a contractor linked to the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court and two other firms. Residents at three of the estates told the Post they had already spent millions of Hong Kong dollars on the projects and were now uncertain whether the work was proper or how long the delay would last, with some struggling to choose a new...

Economics

39 h. ago Hong Kong scaffold nets come down after deadly fire as residents get more help

Construction firms began removing scaffold netting from buildings across Hong Kong on Thursday to meet a three-day government-imposed deadline following the city’s deadliest blaze in decades. Authorities also doubled a living allowance for households at fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po and promised to help its residents with long-term housing issues. To meet Saturday’s deadline, contractors at more than 200 buildings under renovation started taking down scaffolding mesh to allay public...

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50 h. ago Manslaughter hard to prove in Hong Kong fire amid regulatory gaps, experts warn

Shortcomings in Hong Kong’s building regulations could complicate efforts to prove manslaughter in the Tai Po housing estate blaze that killed 159 people, according to legal and construction experts. Police have arrested 21 people so far, including 15 for alleged manslaughter, after authorities found flammable foam panels and nets that were not flame-retardant on the scaffolding that covered the eight blocks of Wang Fuk Court, which had been under renovation since July last year. The blaze at...

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62 h. ago Fire sprinklers, smoke detectors can help offset risk in Hong Kong: experts

Owners of residential buildings in Hong Kong should consider installing sprinklers and smoke detectors rather than relying on fire alarm call points with glass covers, experts have said, after video emerged that appeared to show a resident trying to sound the alarm using one of the boxes at Wang Fuk Court but without success. The video clip circulating on social media purportedly taken from a security camera in the hallway of one of the towers shows the man trying to use the fire alarm call...

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62 h. ago Hong Kong insurers identify 8,700 policies owned by Tai Po fire victims

About 30 Hong Kong-based insurance companies, including AIA and Manulife, have issued 7,600 life insurance and 1,100 property policies to policyholders listed as residing at Wang Fuk Court, according to the Insurance Authority. Insurance Authority CEO Clement Cheung Wan-ching said the authority had set up a special task force, led by senior executives, to urge all insurers to identify policyholders affected by the blaze at Wang Fuk Court last week that killed 159 people, injured 79 and left an...

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68 h. ago Indonesia’s cyclone tragedy exposes lethal cost of forest destruction

Indonesia is facing renewed calls to curb deforestation and tighten oversight of forest concessions after a rare tropical cyclone tore across Sumatra, unleashing floods and landslides that have killed more than 700 people and left hundreds missing. The disaster has prompted a nationwide debate over whether the tragedy was driven primarily by climate change-fuelled extreme weather or by decades of ecological destruction in a region that has been transformed by plantations, mining and large-scale...

Politics

3 d. ago 300 Hong Kong buildings must remove scaffolding mesh by Saturday

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. What we know so far: 159 people, including a firefighter, confirmed dead 79 injured, including 12 firefighters About 30 people remain unaccounted for HK$2.3 billion raised for rescue and relief efforts The eight blocks in Wang Fuk Court had been undergoing renovations since July...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Market is rotten’: Hong Kong fire exposes greedy building renovation business

Hong Kong’s worst blaze in seven decades has exposed an ugly open secret of a murky and rapacious building renovation business that is plagued by bid-rigging and skyrocketing costs even as it staves off feeble official efforts to tackle collusive conduct. Experts and former insiders offered this grim assessment, pointing to the city as a gold mine for such syndicates given its ageing stock of high-rise properties ripe for renovation. They made a collective call for an overhaul of the industry as...

Economics

4 d. ago Substandard netting used on Hong Kong blaze buildings; death toll at 151

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Substandard protective nets with defective fire retardant properties have been found at the residential estate where Hong Kong’s worst inferno in seven decades took place last week, authorities have said, while revealing that the death toll has risen to 151. Officials said on Monday that...

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6 d. ago Hong Kong dad saved from burning building asks how to start over with nothing

Watching his young children’s faces light up with excitement, William Li felt relief, but the deep ache in his chest was overwhelming. His son and daughter were happy he had saved their most treasured possessions – a mobile phone and an iPad – from the inferno that had just devoured their home in Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court on Wednesday. Thankfully, they had been at school and their mother at work at the time. “Daddy is so great! You saved my phone!” his 10-year-old son exclaimed, cheering with...

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6 d. ago Beijing launches nationwide fire safety drive in wake of deadly Hong Kong blaze

Authorities in mainland China have launched a nationwide campaign to eliminate fire hazards in high-rise buildings, days after Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades tore through a residential complex – claiming at least 128 lives. The Work Safety Committee of the State Council, China’s cabinet, announced the sweeping drive in a notice on Saturday, according to state media. The notice pledged to “identify and rectify” fire risks across high-rise residential and public-use buildings, from tower...

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7 d. ago Construction clampdown needed after fire but industry must act too: experts

Systemic failings around supervision of building maintenance in Hong Kong, and a lack of coordination between departments charged with ensuring it is done properly, both needed to be addressed to prevent tragedies such as the Tai Po fire happening again, experts and sector representatives have said. The regulation of polystyrene foam boards was particularly important, they added, with the preliminary investigation into the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court finding that the fire started on...

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7 d. ago Death toll from Hong Kong fire climbs to 128 as city prepares for mourning period

The death toll from Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in seven decades climbed to more than 100 on Friday as the government announced a three-day official mourning period from Saturday for victims of the blaze. National and Hong Kong flags at all its buildings and facilities will fly at half-mast until Monday, with officials cancelling all non-essential public engagements and government-endorsed celebratory events delayed or cancelled. Residents can also pen their condolences in books placed across the...

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7 d. ago Hongkongers snap up fire safety equipment as Tai Po blaze death toll climbs

Hong Kong residents and businesses are rushing to snap up safety equipment following the city’s worst fire in decades, which killed 128 and injured 79. The fire broke out on Wednesday in seven of eight residential buildings of Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district, with the blaze largely put out on Friday. The fire spread rapidly across the buildings, which were covered with scaffolding mesh and windows covered with polystyrene foam boards. Vendors of fire equipment said...

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8 d. ago Fire probe centres on widespread use of flammable material by building firm

The investigation into a deadly fire at a Hong Kong housing estate has centred on the use of flammable material in the scaffolding that covered the residential blocks, officials said on Thursday. Police arrested three men from the maintenance firm responsible for the buildings on suspicion of manslaughter, while the city’s anti-graft agency said it was looking into a possible case of corruption. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung had revealed shortly before 2am that authorities...

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8 d. ago Hong Kong fire live: Blaze kills at least 65, hundreds still missing

Hong Kong fire live: Blaze kills at least 65, hundreds still missing  Al Jazeera

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8 d. ago Hong Kong fire live: Blaze kills at least 55, hundreds still missing

Hong Kong fire live: Blaze kills at least 55, hundreds still missing  Al Jazeera

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9 d. ago Hong Kong buildings blaze kills at least 36 people, hundreds missing

Hong Kong buildings blaze kills at least 36 people, hundreds missing  Reuters

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