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Hong Kong authorities charged 7 radical and 2 companies connected Wednesday (June 10, 2026) implicit the world's deadliest residential gathering occurrence successful decades, which killed 168 radical astatine a nationalist lodging property past year.
Hong Kong’s deadliest fire: Probe begins grounds hearings
The monolithic blaze, which engulfed 7 of the 8 high-rise flat blocks astatine the Wang Fuk Court property successful November, prompted a months-long probe successful to the cause. Public hearings were told that astir each life-saving occurrence information measures had failed connected the time of the blaze due to the fact that of quality errors.
Hong Kong blaze: Why buildings person disastrous fires and however they tin beryllium prevented
Authorities "today charged 7 individuals and 2 companies with 25 counts of offences, including manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, 'money-laundering', attempting to pervert the people of nationalist justice, and taxation evasion", the authorities said successful a connection connected Wednesday (June 10, 2026).
The 7 radical charged included directors and inspectors of a consultancy steadfast progressive successful the estate’s renovation, arsenic good arsenic the main contractor progressive successful the project, according to the statement. Substandard operation information netting and cigaret butts were focal points of the probe into the causes and accelerated spread of the world’s deadliest residential gathering occurrence since 1980.
Fire alarm systems for 7 of 8 blocks had besides been deactivated, which “greatly shortened the clip for residents to evacuate”, starring counsel Victor Dawes had told an autarkic committee conducting the probe. Required fire-retardant nets were not utilized successful galore places, and the windows were covered by foam boards, which whitethorn person contributed to the dispersed of occurrence into the flats, the sheet heard earlier this year.
The Fire Investigation Task Force had maintained that an ignited cigaret caused combustible worldly to drawback fire, sparking the blaze. Thousands of residents mislaid their homes successful the blaze and relocated into impermanent housing.
