HONG KONG—Police forensic teams today began the grim task of identifying victims inside a charred Tai Po public housing complex following a devastating five-alarm blaze that claimed at least 128 lives and injuredscores. The Hong Kong Police Force’s Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) deployed hundreds of personnel to the Hunghom Court estate on Thursday, November 29, to search for remains and collect crucial evidence amid the wreckage.
Chief Superintendent Tsang Suk-yin, who heads the force’s Casualty Inquiry Centre, confirmed the official death toll stands at 128, with 83 people hospitalized. While 84 fatalities and 37 injuries have been confirmed against missing persons reports, the identities of 44 victims remain unknown, prompting police to accelerate the laborious identification process. Families and reporting parties are being notified sequentially to begin preliminary identifications.
Challenging Search Conditions Impede Recovery
Assistant Commissioner of Police Lam Man-han, Northern Regional Commander, oversaw the initial entry into Blocks A and B—Hunghung Court and Hunghom Block Road, respectively. These buildings were stabilized and cooled quickly, allowing for immediate access. This morning, 600 DVIU members, equipped with specialized protective gear including anti-slip footwear and helmets, navigated the extensively damaged towers.
“The environment following the disaster is incredibly challenging, dark, and complex,” said Assistant Commissioner Lam. She detailed how significant structural damage, coupled with debris and standing water reaching calf-height in some areas, has drastically narrowed corridors and complicated the search.
The first phase of the search concluded by 2:30 p.m. local time after teams swept the two accessible blocks. No human remains were discovered in these initial entries. However, the operation led to the unexpected rescue of four distressed animals: three cats from Hunghom Court and a tortoise from Hunghom Block Road. All rescued animals were immediately transferred to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for care.
Weeks-Long Investigation Expected
The scale of the fire and the resulting devastation mean the full investigation will be protracted. When pressed about the timeline for clearing all seven affected residential towers, Assistant Commissioner Lam offered a cautious estimate. She stated that while the force is pressing for rapid resolution, the full search and investigation across the complex is conservatively projected to take three to four weeks.
The ongoing effort to account for all residents remains central to the police operation. Though 144 individuals previously listed as missing have now been confirmed safe, 150 citizens are still unaccounted for. Police noted that about 100 of these cases are particularly difficult to verify, often based on reports with sparse or obsolete information, such as old nicknames provided by distant acquaintances.
Police have established dedicated channels for victims’ families and those seeking information about missing persons. The meticulous identification procedures—relying on forensic data, dental records, and DNA—will be critical in providing closure to affected families across the community reeling from one of the city’s deadliest residential fires in decades. Authorities emphasize the need for patience as forensic experts grapple with an unprecedented volume of complex identification work.
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