The death toll from the fire that devastated the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Hong Kong has increased to 161, following new forensic identifications that clarified the number of victims recovered from the site, authorities confirmed.
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Police Commissioner Joe Chow said the revision came after genetic tests established that remains previously counted as a single victim in fact belonged to a married couple. He stressed that forensic work is still ongoing and that the final number of fatalities may change as examinations continue. According to Chow, the identification process remains particularly challenging due to the condition of some of the recovered remains.
Chow also reported that the removal of protective netting and bamboo scaffolding from building facades began on Friday. For safety reasons, these operations are currently limited to four of the seven buildings affected by the fire. The collection of material evidence is still underway, and officials have not set a deadline for completing the process.
Hong Kongers offered flowers and bowed outside a funeral parlor to pay tribute to a firefighter who was among the 160 people killed by the city's deadliest fire in decades. https://t.co/YvVG2MlI9D
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 19, 2025
The fire erupted on November 26, when netting covering bamboo scaffolding between the ground floor and first floor of Wang Cheong House caught fire. The blaze spread with unusual speed across the complex, eventually reaching six additional towers.
In response to the scale of the tragedy, the Hong Kong government established an Independent Commission of Inquiry, chaired by a magistrate, to determine the causes of both the ignition and the rapid spread of the fire. The commission’s mandate includes reviewing procedures used in building renovation contracts, assessing the adequacy of existing regulations, examining potential criminal responsibility, and issuing recommendations to the government. The final report is expected within nine months.
In parallel, the Independent Commission Against Corruption arrested the current chairman of the owners’ corporation and his predecessor on Wednesday as part of a broader investigation linked to the disaster.
Wang Fuk Court was built in 1983 under a public affordable housing program and consists of eight 31-story towers with nearly 2,000 apartments. According to the 2021 census, the complex was home to 4,643 residents.
In a moving funeral service on Friday, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region bid a final farewell to Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life while combating last month's #TaiPo fire, which has so far claimed the lives of 160 residents of #HongKong. #大埔 #大埔火災… pic.twitter.com/bRXyHLt11f
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) December 20, 2025
At the time of the fire, the buildings were undergoing renovation works valued at 330 million Hong Kong dollars and were fully covered with bamboo scaffolding and safety netting. Subsequent investigations found that some of the netting used did not meet required fire-resistance standards and that highly flammable expanded polystyrene panels had been installed. These findings contributed to the rapid spread of the fire and raised suspicions of improper cost-cutting and failures in procurement processes.
In September, the leadership of the owners’ corporation was renewed, and the Labour Department carried out inspections that resulted in sanctions. The most recent official inspection took place one week before the fire.
More than twenty people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and offenses related to public administration, including individuals connected to contracting companies.
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