Hong Kong leader apologises for deadly blaze that killed 168 as housing minister resigns over govt failures

 

HONG KONG, Oct 29 — Hong Kong leader John Lee apologised today for a deadly fire that killed 168 people, and the city’s housing minister resigned after a report found the government “partially responsible” for the disaster.

The November 26 fire at Wang Fuk Court was the world’s deadliest residential building blaze since 1980 and engulfed several residential tower blocks.

Public pressure calling for government accountability has grown since then, with calls from critics for Lee and top officials to resign.

Lee bowed and apologised at a news conference on the report concluding a months-long inquiry into the fire.

“I am deeply saddened. I would like to apologise to the affected residents and the general public,” Lee said.

Four government bodies “should bear part of the responsibility for the high casualties caused by this tragic fire”, the report said.

The Housing Bureau “should bear a greater share of responsibility”, it added.

As part of the inquiry, more than 30 hearings were held since March before a judge-led committee to determine the cause of the fire.

Almost all fire safety measures failed that day because of “human errors”, the committee heard.

Evidence suggests the “fire was most likely caused by a glowing source, likely a cigarette, which ignited paper materials on the flat roof outside”, the report said.

The disaster “was preventable but not prevented, and foreseeable but not foreseen”, the committee’s leading counsel Victor Dawes told a hearing in July.

The apartment complex was a home to more than 4,600 residents, 1,700 of them over the age of 65. Of those who died, 114 people—or about 70 percent—were aged 65 or older.

Authorities have filed charges, including manslaughter, against seven individuals and two companies over their roles in the fire and arrested at least 35 people. — AFP