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Hong Kong authorities have charged seven people and two companies with 25 offences, including manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, attempting to pervert the course of public justice, and tax evasion, in connection with the city's deadliest fire in decades. The blaze at the Wang Fuk Court public housing estate in November killed 168 people and engulfed seven of its eight high-rise apartment blocks.

The defendants appeared at West Kowloon Court on Wednesday to face charges brought by police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), according to the South China Morning Post. The government said in a statement that the charges were the first laid against those deemed responsible for the fire.

Coverage Comparison

ABC Australia reported that authorities charged the suspects with 25 counts, with the charges including manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, attempting to pervert the course of public justice, and tax evasion. The outlet noted that the seven people played different roles in the major renovation project of Wang Fuk Court, and that the two companies charged are the project consultancy firm and the main contractor.

The South China Morning Post provided additional details, naming the two companies as Will Power Architects, the consultant behind the renovation, and Prestige Construction and Engineering, the main contractor. The paper also reported that court documents revealed for the first time the full list of the 168 people killed in the blaze. It identified one of the defendants, Hau Wah-kin, a director of the contractor, who was released on bail after being charged with conspiracy to defraud, with bail set at HK$500,000.

The Hindu's reporting focused on the investigation into the fire's cause, noting that public hearings were told that almost all life-saving fire safety measures had failed on the day of the blaze because of human errors. The outlet described the fire as the world's deadliest residential building fire in decades.

Key Claims

  • Seven individuals and two companies were charged with 25 offences, including manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, attempting to pervert the course of public justice, and tax evasion. This was reported by ABC Australia, the South China Morning Post, and The Hindu.
  • The fire killed 168 people and engulfed seven of eight apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court estate. This was reported by all three outlets.
  • The seven individuals charged held various roles in the major renovation of Wang Fuk Court, including directors, a registered inspector from the project's consultancy, and directors of the main contractor, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
  • The two companies charged are the project consultancy firm and the main contractor, according to ABC Australia, with the South China Morning Post naming them as Will Power Architects and Prestige Construction and Engineering.
  • Hau Wah-kin, a director of the contractor, was released on bail set at HK$500,000 after being charged with conspiracy to defraud, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
  • Substandard construction safety netting and cigarette butts were focal points of the probe into the causes and rapid spread of the fire, according to The Hindu's reporting on the investigation.
  • Fire alarm systems for seven of eight blocks had been deactivated, which "greatly shortened the time for residents to evacuate," leading counsel Victor Dawes told an independent committee conducting the probe, as reported by The Hindu.
  • Almost all life-saving fire safety measures failed on the day of the blaze because of human errors, as reported by ABC Australia and The Hindu.

Temporal Context

In March, police arrested 38 people on accusations related to the complex, including manslaughter and fraud, ABC Australia reported. Nine have been charged, police said. The anti-graft agency also arrested 23 people on suspicion of offences such as bribery and conspiracy to defraud.