The death toll in Hong Kong’s apartment complex fire has risen to 159 as officials ordered all scaffolding mesh in the city to be removed by Saturday.
The blaze that last week engulfed Wang Fuk Court in the city’s northern tai Po district has become the world’s deadliest residential building fire as 1980.
Police said the number of dead may still be revised as officers had found “suspected human bones” that required forensic testing.
Authorities earlier said the blaze on the estate,which was undergoing major renovations,was likely made worse by the use of netting that did not meet fire-resistance standards.
Flames quickly covered the surfaces of the apartment blocks, which were wrapped with bamboo scaffolding, protective netting and foam boards.
The secretary for development, Bernadette Linn, on Wednesday ordered all Hong Kong buildings undergoing major maintenance to remove their netting by saturday. The South China Morning Post reported the order would affect about 200 buildings.
Mourners have continued to stream to a small park near the charred buildings, placing hundreds of bouquets and notes of remembrance for the victims – the youngest of whom was a one-year-old, and the oldest 97.
“I hope people can come here to lay their grief to rest,” said Sarah lam, a volunteer organiser of the memorial events, adding that the victims suffered “many injustices”.
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