Tai Po Fire: Death Toll Climbs to 160; Investigation into Missing Persons Ongoing

The tragic death toll from the Tai Po fire has now reached 160, following DNA analysis that identified two additional victims, according to police updates on Tuesday. Six individuals are still missing, with the identities of 40 deceased yet to be confirmed.

Police commissioner Joe Chow Yat-ming announced that the newly identified victims, an elderly woman and a domestic worker, were matched to DNA samples provided by relatives in Hong Kong.

Teams from the Housing Department have successfully removed collapsed bamboo scaffolding from the fire-affected buildings. During these efforts, some skeletal remains were discovered and are currently under investigation for their origins.

On a related note, the Fire Services Department has completed pumping water from all seven damaged structures and confirmed no further remains were found. Tsang Shuk-yin, who heads the casualty enquiry unit, provided an update on several missing individuals: 12 are confirmed safe, four died before the fire, and six are known to reside outside of Wang Fuk Court estate. Six cases, however, remain unresolved.

To expedite the identification process, police have collected DNA samples from 162 relatives, working closely with the Government Laboratory. Meanwhile, debris clearing continues from the site, along with the removal of Styrofoam and scaffolding.

In an alarming turn, investigators have detected 21 fraud cases linked to the fire, with two arrests made thus far. Six suspicious instances of forged safety documents regarding scaffolding nets are currently under review, with new regulations anticipated shortly.

Multiple housing estates, such as Baguio Villa, Fung Wah Estate, and several others are under scrutiny; however, no arrests related to these properties have occurred yet.

Ongoing operations include concrete core extraction from affected buildings, with scaffold nets removed from 230 private sites as per the Buildings Department's directive.

The Labour Department has inspected 371 construction locations, issuing a total of 189 written warnings, 101 improvement notices, and initiating 25 prosecutions linked to fire safety and emergency measures.

The Hospital Authority has reported that all 24 patients who were hospitalized are now stable, including one individual who was previously critical; they assured that dedicated care will continue.