Some residents displaced by Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades have called for merging the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) with the Buildings Department, after a public inquiry revealed regulatory failures linked to communication problems between the two arms of similar functions. In recommendations submitted to the independent committee probing the Wang Fuk Court fire, which were released on Saturday, legal representatives for nine residents said authorities should merge...
An independent inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po fire has concluded after examining more than 1 million files and hearing from 80 witnesses across 30 public sessions, uncovering the causes of the blaze that killed 168 people. The panel, chaired by Justice David Lok Kai-hong, wrapped up its hearings on Friday after proceedings that began on March 19. The inquiry examined evidence and testimony related to the Wang Fuk Court fire, the city’s deadliest since 1948. “Through open investigation...
An independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades will hear concluding remarks from the government on Thursday as the final round of hearings on the tragedy continues. The legal representative for nine residents of the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po will also deliver a concluding statement before the judge-led panel on the second last session of the three-day hearing. Committee chairman Justice David Lok Kai-hong said the government’s closing...