‘Deception succeeded because the regulators’ own practices enabled it’: HK housing minister resigns after botched fire investigation that killed 168
Many former residents of Wang Fuk Court have spent nearly a year waiting to see how the government will address accountability.
Hong Kong's Housing Secretary Winnie Ho resigned following a devastating fire investigation that killed 168 people in an apartment complex. The Housing Bureau's independent checking unit, along with the Buildings Department, the Fire Services Department, and the Labor Department, were found to have significant deficiencies in their oversight work, according to an independent committee report.
It was revealed that construction workers had smoked on site, and the use of substandard materials such as non-fire-retardant scaffolding nets and foam boards allowed the fire to spread rapidly. Most deaths were attributed to smoke inhalation, with some deaths caused by the shutdown of the fire alarm system. The report stated that the deception was possible due to the regulators' own practices, which failed to investigate obvious fire hazards.
The committee also found evidence of bid-rigging and other misconduct involving the main contractor, Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. Beijing commended the government's handling of the disaster, but many residents, like Phyllis Lo, who lost her mother in the fire, expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of justice and the delayed criminal trial.
Written by urgent.news from Fortune's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
