Hong Kong authorities have filed manslaughter charges against seven individuals and two companies in connection with the world's deadliest residential building fire in decades, which claimed 168 lives at a public housing estate last year.
The massive blaze engulfed seven of the eight high-rise apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court estate in November, prompting a lengthy investigation into its cause. Public hearings revealed that almost all life-saving fire safety measures failed on the day of the fire due to human errors.
According to charge sheets seen by AFP, the directors of the construction contractor and the consulting firm involved in Wang Fuk Court's renovation at the time of the fire, along with an inspector, have been accused of manslaughter, together with their companies. A total of seven individuals who played various roles in the estate's renovation have also been charged with fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion.
The defendants appeared in court on Wednesday and informed the judge that they "understood" the charges. The court heard that those accused of manslaughter "unlawfully" killed 168 people from the residential buildings in November, including residents and a firefighter. A list of 168 victims' names from a charge sheet was read out during the hearing, marking the first time such information has been made public. The cases have been adjourned until September this year.
A Hong Kong police representative stated on Wednesday that the force had arrested 35 people in connection with the fire, working in collaboration with Hong Kong's anti-graft watchdog, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). "We suspect that this unfortunate incident was caused by individuals acting in their own self-interest … with complete disregard for the safety of residents' lives and property," said ICAC's principal investigator, Hazel Law, to reporters.
ICAC discovered that some defendants conspired to defraud authorities by submitting false reports regarding the estate's projects. Police added that the contractor and consulting firms were "suspected of serious breach of duty of care, resulting in gross negligence" in the construction project.
Substandard construction safety netting and cigarette butts were focal points of the investigation into the causes and rapid spread of the fire, which is the deadliest residential building fire globally since 1980. Fire alarm systems for seven of the eight blocks had been deactivated, which "greatly shortened the time for residents to evacuate," leading counsel Victor Dawes told an independent committee conducting the probe.
Required fire-retardant nets were not used in many areas, and windows were covered by foam boards, which may have contributed to the fire's spread into the flats, the panel heard earlier this year. The Fire Investigation Task Force maintained that an ignited cigarette caused combustible material to catch fire, sparking the blaze.
Thousands of residents lost their homes in the fire and were relocated to temporary housing.
