Hong Kong Fire Death Toll Hits 159, Six Arrested

Hong Kong's death toll from a devastating apartment complex fire climbed to 159 on Wednesday, as police arrested six additional suspects accused of disabling fire alarms during ongoing renovations at the site. The blaze, which erupted last Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court in the northern suburb of Tai Po and burned for more than 40 hours before being fully extinguished on Friday, ravaged seven of the complex's eight high-rise residential towers.

Authorities have completed searches inside the damaged buildings, recovering bodies from apartments, stairwells, and rooftops where residents sought escape. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow told reporters that teams found suspected human remains in several units and would conduct DNA testing for identification. Efforts continue amid piles of collapsed bamboo scaffolding, with about 30 people still unaccounted for. Of the 159 confirmed fatalities, 19 remain unidentified. The victims ranged in age from a one-year-old infant to a 97-year-old resident, including 10 migrant domestic workers—nine from Indonesia and one from the Philippines—as well as one firefighter.

The fire's rapid spread affected thousands of residents in the complex, which...