Hong kong: The death toll from Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades rose to 161 on Saturday, as one more person was confirmed dead via forensic analysis.
According to Anadolu Agency, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming stated on Saturday after a passing-out parade at the Hong Kong Police College that further forensic tests identified the DNA of another person in one of the bodies, previously identified as belonging to a couple. This has resulted in an increased death toll to 161. He also mentioned that ongoing DNA tests may reveal more deceased individuals, potentially increasing the death toll.
The police chief confirmed that all six previous missing cases had been resolved, with five people confirmed dead in the fire and another succumbing in 2023. The police had earlier reached out to approximately 100 households in the residential complex for DNA samples to assist in identifying victims.
The fire, which occurred in Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court area, lasted 43 hours and engulfed seven residential blocks, comprising over 1,900 apartments. All eight of the buildings involved had been undergoing renovations, with bamboo scaffolding and mesh nets covering them, and polystyrene foam boards used on the windows.
The disaster left nearly 5,000 people homeless. In response, authorities announced a two-year annual rental subsidy of HK$150,000 (US$19,278) for flat owners displaced by the fire. Additionally, both flat owners and tenants received a one-off subsidy of HK$50,000 for relocation purposes.