Residents of a burned-out complex in Hong Kong return to collect their belongings

Some Hong Kong residents who were forced to flee their homes a week ago due to a deadly fire returned to the burning complex yesterday to retrieve their belongings, while others struggled to rebuild their lives after a disaster that claimed the lives of at least 156 people.

The residents of the only building in the complex, which was not destroyed by the fire that lasted 40 hours, were escorted to their homes by government employees, and were given an hour and a half to collect the remaining belongings, after the fire destroyed seven other buildings.

The worst fire the city has witnessed in decades has displaced all residents of the Wang Fook Court complex, numbering more than 4,000 people, many of whom reside in temporary housing. The authorities have not announced the date of the return of the residents of the building, which was not damaged, as they are collecting evidence as part of a criminal investigation.

A 60-year-old woman, called Lam, who was waiting with plastic bags for her daughter before entering her apartment, said: “All my life is there.” The police continue to search the seven buildings destroyed by the fire, and the search may take weeks, due to the dangerous conditions and the difficulty of collecting the bodies, some of which were found on rooftops and stairs, while others turned into ashes, according to the authorities.