Committee probing Tai Po fire delays submission of report till end of October

The independent committee investigating the Tai Po fire, which claimed the lives of 168 people, has announced a one-month delay in submitting its final report, now set for submission by the end of October. The delay was attributed to the complexity of the issues and the substantial volume of documents the committee must review, with over one million files and testimonies from 80 witnesses being processed.

The committee, originally set to conclude its work within nine months and deliver its findings in September, sought approval from Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to extend the deadline. The panel's work has been described as "numerous and complex in nature," involving numerous parties and requiring extensive analysis of the submitted information to formulate recommendations on fire safety regulations, systemic problems, and potential fraudulent acts by contractors.

Brief written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.