The death toll in a fire that tore through a Hong Kong residential estate this week has risen to 146, police said.
Officers of the Disaster Victim Identification Unit recovered additional bodies as they expanded their search into three more high-rises at Wang Fuk Court, which suffered the world's deadliest residential building fire since 1980.
"As of 4pm (8am Irish time), the latest death toll stands at 146. We cannot rule out the possibility of further fatalities," chief superintendent Tsang Shuk-yin of the police's casualty enquiry unit said at a news conference.
The new figure comes as hundreds of people paid tribute to the victims, as China warned it would use a national security law to crack down on any "anti-China" protest in the wake of the fire.
The cause of the blaze at a high-rise apartment complex, remains under investigation, amid public anger and dismay over missed fire risk warnings and evidence of unsafe construction practices.
Mourners waited in a queue stretching for more than a kilometre along the banks of a canal near the burnt-out Wang Fuk Court housing complex to lay white flowers for those who died. Some attached notes addressed to the victims.
The smell of smoke still hung in the air four full days after the fast-moving blaze fanned across the exterior of seven residential towers under renovation in Hong Kong's northern Tai Po district.
Seven Indonesian domestic workers and one Filipino have been confirmed among the dead and dozens of migrant workers remain missing. An outdoor prayer meeting in central Hong Kong for the city's Filipino community was attended by hundreds this morning.
Police on Saturday detained Miles Kwan, 24, who was part of a group that launched a petition demanding an independent probe into possible corruption and a review of construction oversight, two people familiar with the matter said.
The online petition promoted by the group drew over 10,000 signatures by yesterday afternoon before it was closed.
A second petition with similar demands was launched soon after by a Tai Po resident who is living overseas. That petition had more than 2,700 signatures as of today. "The government owes Hong kongers genuine, explicit accountability," it said.
The blaze that ripped through seven residential towers near the border with mainland China has stunned Hong Kong and authorities have launched criminal and corruption investigations.
China's national security authorities warned individuals against using the disaster to "plunge Hong Kong back into the chaos" of 2019, when massive pro-democracy protests challenged Beijing and triggered a political crisis.
"We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors who attempt to 'disrupt Hong Kong through disaster'. No matter what methods you use, you will certainly be held accountable and strictly punished."
Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the blaze, as they investigate possible corruption and the use of unsafe materials during renovations at the complex.
Rescue operations at the site concluded on Friday.
The fire started on Wednesday afternoon and rapidly engulfed seven of the eight 32-storey blocks at the complex, which were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh, and layered with foam insulation for the renovations.
Authorities have said the fire alarms at the complex, home to over 4,600 people, had not been working properly.
The fire is Hong Kong's deadliest since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze.
Residents of Wang Fuk Court were told by authorities last year they faced "relatively low fire risks" after complaining about fire hazards posed by the renovation, the city's Labour Department said.
The residents raised concerns in September 2024, including about the potential flammability of the protective green mesh contractors used to cover the bamboo scaffolding, a department spokesperson said.
