Early Friday morning, Swedish time, the work to extinguish the fire was completed after over 40 hours. The search for survivors has also been completed.
In addition to the dead, around 80 people have been injured, 12 of them life-threatening. In addition, the situation is "uncertain" for another 200 people, including 80 bodies that cannot be identified, according to Hong Kong's Security Minister Chris Tang.
Gradually, relatives are receiving the news they have been dreading. A woman the South China Morning Post (SCMP) spoke to has just identified the badly burned remains of her sister.
She called me when the fire had just broken out and begged for help. It had only been ten minutes and the fire had already reached her apartment. (...) She begged me to save her, but I couldn't.
Flammable polystyrene
The Wang Fuk Court complex was being renovated when the tragedy occurred, so the facades of the eight buildings were completely covered in construction netting over bamboo scaffolding, along which the flames quickly climbed.
As the fire spread, the bamboo poles became death traps that fell, igniting additional buildings and obstructing access for the emergency services. Flammable Styrofoam in windows and corridors is cited as another reason for the very rapid course of events, writes SCMP.
Windows exploded
The Styrofoam produced extremely high temperatures, which according to authorities caused window panes to explode and the fire to enter the houses.
Survivors have previously testified that they did not hear any fire alarms, but had to run door to door to warn neighbors. On Friday, the fire department confirmed, according to AFP, that the alarm systems did not work in any of the eight buildings, seven of which were destroyed in the fire.
Renovations to the complex, with nearly 2,000 apartments and around 4,800 residents, had been underway for over a year when the fire broke out.
Eight people, seven men and one woman, were arrested on Friday in connection with the renovation, Hong Kong's anti-corruption agency ICAC announced, according to AP. They include two managers of a construction consulting firm and representatives of a scaffolding subcontractor.
The arrests come after ICAC launched an investigation into suspected corruption in the renovation project on Thursday.
The police are also investigating the fire and on Thursday arrested three people suspected of murder.
