00:00As Hong Kong began a three-day mourning period on Saturday after a catastrophic fire at a housing
00:07estate, authorities said they had arrested more than a dozen people in connection with the tragedy.
00:13The blaze, which tore through seven high-rise blocks of the Wangfu Court complex on Wednesday,
00:19was the city's deathliest in nearly 80 years. Police warned the death toll of more than 120
00:27was likely to rise, with 150 people still missing as of Saturday. An officer told reporters
00:35nobodies were found after two of the towers were searched, though several pets were rescued.
00:42The arrests came as authorities investigated possible corruption and the use of unsafe
00:48materials during the renovations at the complex. Reports have also emerged that Wangfu Court
00:54residents had repeatedly raised safety concerns over the works. More than a year ago, some had
01:02voiced worries about fire hazards, including the potential flammability of the protective mesh
01:08around the buildings, the city's Labor Department told Reuters. It said authorities at the time told
01:14them they faced, quote, relatively low fire risks. However, police said on Thursday, materials used in
01:22the renovations were, quote, suspected of not meeting fire safety standards. Public anger over the fire has
01:30been muted, a stark contrast to mass pro-democracy protests of 2019 that prompted Beijing to tighten
01:37its grip on the city. But the reports of the complaints have shaken the city's residents.
01:43Hong Kong is supposed to be a civilized society. How come there's nobody checking around or inspecting
01:51things? Only after so many people have died and buildings have collapsed as the government
01:55finally speak up, even the fire alarm didn't go off. Isn't that tragic?
01:59And also, we just like to hope there will be a form of investigation and inquiry to make sure tragic of this scale that has cost a lot of lives will be avoided and prevented in the
02:13future. Some frustrated volunteers handed out flyers near the estate, demanding government
02:20accountability. They also called for an independent probe into possible corruption, proper resettlement
02:26for residents, and a review of construction oversight.
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