30 missing… The death toll from the Hong Kong fire rises to 159
The death toll has increased Fire of the residential complex in Hong Kong on Wednesday to 159 dead and about 30 people still missing, while the authorities arrested 6 people on suspicion of disconnecting some alarm devices from Fires during maintenance of the complex.
Police said they had completed the search for bodies inside all seven residential towers that were destroyed by the fire a week ago, while firefighters needed 40 hours to extinguish it.
Hong Kong announced yesterday that it would form an independent investigation committee headed by a judge to determine the cause of the fire, and make recommendations to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring.
Relief Fund
Hong Kong leader John Lee announced the allocation of a relief fund worth 300 million Hong Kong dollars, with additional donations from major companies.
The complex includes about 2,000 apartments inhabited by more than 4,600 people, and was built in 1983 as part of the subsidized housing program.
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