Fire in Hong Kong: at least 128 dead and eight arrested as investigations continue

The death toll in the fire that charred a residential high-rise complex in Hong Kong this week rose to 128, the information was confirmed Friday by the city's security chief.

In addition, eight people were arrested for alleged corruption surrounding the restoration works of the residential complex.

The commission said in a statement that it arrested seven men and one woman, aged between 40 and 63 years old.

Among them are two construction managers, two managers of the office in charge of the renovation of the residential complex, three subcontractors responsible for scaffolding and a middleman.

Dozens of people are still missing, Secretary for Security Chris Tang added at a news conference, in which he said he had sent his condolences to those affected.

The fire, the worst in decades in this semi-autonomous Chinese megacity, left 79 people injured, rescue and security officials told reporters. Of the 128 dead, 89 have yet to be identified.

The flames of the worst conflagration recorded in decades in this semi-autonomous Chinese city broke out Wednesday afternoon on traditional bamboo scaffolding installed on the towers under repair at the Wang Fuk Court housing development in the northern Tai Po district.

Investigation into the tragedy

After burning for more than 40 hours in the 31-story skyscrapers, the fire was "practically extinguished" at 10H18 local time (02H18 GMT) Friday, the fire department said in announcing the end of its operations.

Authorities are now investigating the causes of the tragedy, including the presence of the flammable wooden scaffolding and plastic protective netting with which buildings under repair in the city are commonly wrapped.