HONG KONG — The death toll in Hong Kong’s apartment complex blaze rose to 146 on Sunday as investigators discovered more bodies in the burned-out buildings, while a steady stream of people placed bouquets of flowers at an ever-growing makeshift memorial at the scene.
The Hong Kong police Disaster Victim Identification Unit has been going through the buildings meticulously and has found bodies both in apartment units and on the roofs, said the officer in charge, Cheng Ka-chun.
The buildings remain structurally sound, but the search has been slow, he told reporters, still wearing his white coveralls with his hard hat and respiratory mask at his side. “It is so dark inside, and because of the low light, it is very difficult to do the work, especially in places away from the windows.”So far the team has examined four of the seven blocks, Cheng said.
Another 100 people are unaccounted for and 79 have been injured, said Tsang Shuk-yin, the head of the Hong Kong police casualty unit.At the scene, well-wishers bowed and said short prayers, or left handwritten notes among the flowers.“This really serves as a wake-up call for everyone, especially with these super high-rise buildings,” said Lian Shuzheng, who waited in a line of hundreds of people to add her flowers to the growing cluster.People have also donated supplies to those who lost everything in the blaze, which started Wednesday and took until Friday to fully extinguish.
