President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has extended words of comfort and sincere solidarity to the authorities of Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China, as well as to the families affected by the tragedy.
The President expressed his sorrow over the numerous fatalities resulting from the severe fire that struck a residential complex in Hong Kong, the statement notes.
A recent update from the regional government spokesperson announced that at least 75 people have died due to the blaze.
By 10:00 PM (2:00 PM in Lisbon), 75 individuals had perished in the fire, a government spokesperson revealed to Agence France-Presse, adding that the firefighters had treated 76 injured, 11 of whom were firefighters.
An earlier report from the Hong Kong fire department detailed that 51 people were found dead at the scene, with an additional four declared dead in the hospital.
Today, the Hong Kong government established a fund of 300 million local dollars (33.3 million euros) for the victims of the city’s deadliest fire in over a century.
This incident has been marked as the deadliest fire since 1918 when Hong Kong was a British colony. That year, a blaze led to the collapse of the main grandstand at the Happy Valley Racecourse, resulting in over 600 fatalities.
Police have detained three men on suspicions of involuntary manslaughter, following the discovery of flammable materials left from maintenance work that allowed the fire to rapidly spread through bamboo scaffolding.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption in Hong Kong has formed a task force to launch a full investigation into potential corruption in the large-scale renovation project at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po.
The fire led to the relocation of 900 Wang Fuk Court residents to temporary shelters, along with inhabitants of the neighboring Kwong Fuk Estate, evacuated by authorities as a precaution.
