Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Anti-corruption authorities in Hong Kong arrested five more people Monday in connection with a catastrophic apartment complex blaze last week, bringing the total of people facing possible manslaughter charges to 13 as the death toll hit 151 with about 40 residents still unaccounted for.
Officials said the Independent Commission Against Corruption had launched a wide-reaching investigation with a view to laying manslaughter charges against suspects, including the directors of the main construction contractor and an engineering consultant of a construction company.
Those arrested include 12 men and one woman, all between the ages of 44 and 77, with principals of subcontractors responsible for the scaffolding and the exterior of the buildings among them.
The 31-story buildings at Wang Fuk Court in the New Territories, home to 4,600 people, were undergoing major renovation work when the blaze broke out on Wednesday afternoon, with suspicion falling on bamboo scaffolding with each building then wrapped in a nylon mesh sleeve.
Public ire has been mounting over previous safety breaches alleged to have been committed by the contractor for the project and slack enforcement of regulations by authorities after it was revealed residents had lodged many complaints over the past 12 months.
