Hong Kong leader says fire investigation 'must uncover the truth' and
promises construction reforms
[December 03, 2025]
By CHAN HO-HIM and KEN MORITSUGU
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong will set up an independent committee headed
by a judge to determine the cause of a deadly high-rise fire that
shocked the city and to recommend changes to prevent a future tragedy,
its leader said Tuesday.
John Lee, the chief executive of the southern Chinese territory, pledged
to overcome vested interests and bring about systemic change in the
construction industry. Police said Tuesday afternoon that more bodies
had been found, raising the death toll to at least 156 with about 30
people still missing a week after the fire.
“We must uncover the truth, ensure that justice is served, let the
deceased rest in peace and provide comfort to the living,” Lee told
reporters at a weekly press conference. “We want to ensure that we will
prevent such a tragedy from happening again.”
The fire started last Wednesday around scaffolding on a building at the
Wang Fuk Court complex and spread to seven of its eight towers. They
were home to more than 4,600 people and many have been left homeless.
Forty injured people remain hospitalized, Lee said.
A survivor of the fire welcomed the creation of the independent
committee. “Everyone, every Hong Kong citizen, every person affected by
this accident, all of them want to know the truth of this fire,” said
May Liang, who was out to lunch with her husband when the fire started.
They lost all their belongings, she said.
At least 15 people have been arrested by anti-corruption investigators
and police, including scaffolding contractors, company directors and an
engineering consultant, as authorities investigate suspected corruption
and negligence in a renovation project at the housing complex.
The initial investigation has focused on why the fire expanded so
rapidly, overwhelming firefighting efforts. Authorities have cited both
high winds and substandard materials used for the maintenance work.
Contractors were found to be using substandard netting, authorities said
Monday. Among the 20 samples of netting investigators collected at the
complex, seven were found to have failed safety standards.
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People pray after offering flowers for the victims near the site of
a deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po
district of Hong Kong's New Territories on Tuesday, Dec 2, 2025. (AP
Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Lee said that those responsible had mixed substandard netting with
qualified materials to trick inspectors.
The entire building renovation system in Hong Kong will be reformed,
he vowed.
Lee refused to comment on media reports that people were arrested
last weekend in what some saw as an attempt to snuff out criticism
of the government, including one person who was reportedly involved
in a petition calling for government accountability and arrested on
suspicion of inciting sedition. Lee said only that “I will not
tolerate any crimes, particularly crimes that exploit the tragedy
that we are facing now.”
John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public
administration at the University of Hong Kong, said the
investigation results will likely be credible as the government
seeks to reassure the public.
“It’s in everyone’s interest that the process and results of the
investigations be credible,” Burns said. “Transparency is crucial
for restoring trust.”
Lee said 2,500 residents of the towers have been moved into
transitional housing units, some in government housing and others in
hostels and hotels. About 20 people remain in shelters that housed
hundreds on the first night.
___
Moritsugu reported from Beijing. AP video journalist Jonathan Lee in
Hong Kong contributed to this report.
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