HONG KONG -- 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 investig...