The death toll in Hong Kong\u2019s apartment complex fire has risen to 146 after investigators discovered more bodies in the burnt-out buildings. A steady stream of people placed bouquets of flowers at an ever-growing makeshift memorial at the scene of the disaster, among the worst in the city\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
The Hong Kong police\u2019s disaster victim identification unit has been going through the buildings of the Wang Fuk Court complex meticulously and has found bodies both in apartment units and on the roofs, the officer in charge, Cheng Ka-chun, said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
A mourner holding a flower at a makeshift memorial near Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong. Photograph: Vernon Yuen\/Nexpher\/ZUMA Press Wire\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n
The buildings remained structurally sound, but the search had been slow, Cheng told reporters, still wearing his white coveralls with his hard hat and respiratory mask at his side. \u201cIt is so dark inside, and because of the low light, it is very difficult to do the work, especially in places away from the windows.\u201d<\/p>\n
So far the team has examined four of the seven blocks, Cheng said.<\/p>\n
The latest searches had turned up another 30 bodies, including 12 that had already been discovered by firefighters but had not been recovered, said Tsang Shuk-yin, the head of the Hong Kong police casualty unit.<\/p>\n
A further 100 people were unaccounted for and 79 had been injured, Tsang said.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, well-wishers at the scene bowed and said short prayers, or left handwritten notes among the flowers.<\/p>\n
People line up to lay flowers near Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po on Sunday. Photograph: Vernon Yuen\/Nexpher\/ZUMA Press Wire\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n
\u201cThis really serves as a wake-up call for everyone, especially with these super high-rise buildings,\u201d said Lian Shuzheng, who waited in a line of hundreds of people to add her flowers to the growing cluster.<\/p>\n
People have also donated supplies to those who lost everything in the fire, which started on Wednesday and took until Friday to extinguish fully.<\/p>\n
The cause is still to be determined. Authorities are keen to avoid any broader public backlash after pro-democracy protests roiled the city in 2019, leading to a Beijing-imposed national security law.<\/p>\n