Hong Kong Fire Death Toll Rises to 168 After Identification of Victims

The death toll from a devastating fire at a residential complex in Hong Kong has risen to 168 from 161, officials said Thursday, after the remains of additional victims were identified more than seven weeks after the blaze. The Nov. 26 inferno at Wang Fuk Court is the Chinese territory’s deadliest fire in decades.

Hong Kong police said the victims included 110 women and 58 men ranging in age from six months to 98 years old. Four people were pronounced dead after being taken to hospital, while the remains of the other 164 victims were recovered at the scene. Authorities confirmed that all remains have now been identified, all families notified and no individuals remain unaccounted for.

Only a small number of victims have been publicly named. They include Ho Wai-ho, a 37-year-old firefighter who died in the line of duty, and 10 foreign domestic workers—nine from Indonesia and one from the Philippines—whose deaths were confirmed by their respective governments. Officials also said two interior decorators and five construction workers were among those killed.

Wang Fuk Court, a high-rise housing estate in the suburban district of Tai Po, was home to about 4,600 residents and was undergoing large-scale renovation when the afternoon fire erupted. Seven of the estate’s eight towers were engulfed in flames, complicating rescue efforts and contributing to the scale of the tragedy.

The disaster has prompted scrutiny over possible negligence, bid-rigging and corruption. Authorities have cited substandard mesh netting, polystyrene boards sealed to windows and failures of fire alarm systems as key factors in the fire’s rapid spread.

At the first meeting of Hong Kong’s newly elected legislature on Wednesday, officials proposed tighter oversight of building maintenance projects and stronger fire safety measures. Chief Executive John Lee pledged accountability, saying authorities would pursue responsibility “based on facts” regardless of rank or affiliation.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and a report will be submitted to the coroner, who will decide whether to open a death inquest. Out of respect for grieving families, officials said victims’ identities will not be publicly disclosed at this stage.