Hong Kong police arrested the bosses of a construction company on suspicion of manslaughter on Thursday over the city’s worst fire in nearly 80 years, which killed at least 83 people with scores more listed as missing.
Firefighters had mostly contained the blaze that tore through the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the northern district of Tai Po. The estate had been undergoing renovations and was wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh.
Rescuers battled intense heat and thick smoke for more than a day as they fought to reach residents feared trapped on the upper floors.
Video showed firefighters with flashlights searching through the charred remains of the towers on Thursday night. At a news conference in the early hours of Friday, authorities said they expected the blaze to be fully extinguished in coming hours.
A distraught woman carrying her daughter’s graduation photograph searched for her child outside a shelter, one of eight that authorities said are housing 900 residents.
