The Level 5 fire at Hong Fook Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong, has seen the death toll rise to 156, with police announcing on the 2nd that 30 people are still missing. Two more individuals have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, bringing the total number of arrests to 15 so far. Police also reported that fake websites impersonating social welfare organizations have been found online, tricking the public into making donations; on the 1st, one person holding a puppet account was arrested in connection.
Tseung Shuk-yin, head of the Police Casualty Enquiry Centre, stated that the death toll in the fire has increased to 156, with 127 bodies identified and 29 pending identification, and about 30 people still missing.
Lam Man-yin, New Territories North Regional Commander, said that the police have completed search operations in five buildings, with the remaining Hong Cheung House and Hong Sun House being 40% and 90% searched, respectively. Search operations were paused at 1pm on the 2nd to prevent triggering grief for families during the road memorial.
Lam Man-yin noted that residents of Hong Chi House, which was not affected by the fire, wish to retrieve important personal belongings. With coordination from multiple government departments, arrangements have been made for residents to return once to collect their personal items on the 3rd and 4th. District Officer (Eastern) Lai Chi-hin from the Home Affairs Department indicated that residents may check in at the side of Kwong Yee Building with proof of identity at any time from 9am to 9pm on the 3rd and 4th, each household may return home once, limited to two people entering at the same time for up to 1.5 hours.
Police said that as of the 1st, 15 people had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, including 14 men and 1 woman aged between 40 and 77. The arrested include personnel from Hong Fook Court's building maintenance contractors, consulting engineers, subcontractors for scaffolding, and exterior wall repair companies. Some are currently on bail or in custody, and further arrests have not been ruled out.
● Fake Social Welfare Websites Deceiving the Public for Donations
Wan Chai District Assistant Commander (Crime) Lam Kin-ta stated that a report was received on November 29 about a website impersonating a local social welfare institution, attempting to trick the public into donating under the name of a "Fire Disaster Relief Fund." That night, the police, through the Hong Kong Cyber Security Incident Coordination Centre, took down the website and contacted the bank to stop the related account's operations. Police have not yet received reports of anyone being defrauded by the website.
On the 1st, police arrested a person holding a puppet account, a 27-year-old unemployed Chinese national holding a two-way permit, who is currently in custody. The case is being followed up by Team 2 of the Wan Chai District Crime Squad, and more arrests are possible.
Police also stated that previously scammers impersonated institutions or family members of deceased firefighters, sending out phishing messages and QR codes, and some used fake disaster victim registration forms to steal information, while others pretended to be disaster victims to trick people out of goodwill. Police urge citizens to donate through official or reliable channels and to verify with the relevant organizations before donating.