Hong Kong officials have held a moment of silence at the start of a three-day mourning period to remember those killed after the city's deadliest fire in nearly 80 years.
At least 128 people are now known to have died in the fire which engulfed several tower blocks on Wednesday. Hundreds remain unaccounted for.
Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of corruption over the renovation works the blocks had been undergoing. Three others were detained earlier on manslaughter charges.
The Saturday morning ceremony was held outside government headquarters, where city leader John Lee joined other officials to observe three minutes of silence. Flags of China and Hong Kong were flown at half mast, and the government has established memorial points across the city for the public to pay their respects and sign condolence books.
Once the fire started, it rapidly spread to seven of the eight blocks of flats at Wang Fuk Court, with over 2,000 firefighters working for nearly two days to bring it under control. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, although authorities noted that polystyrene and protective netting on the buildings' exteriors aided its spread. The tower blocks were also covered in bamboo scaffolding, a common sight in Hong Kong.
Officials have confirmed an investigation will take place over the next few weeks, with police already gathering evidence from the scene. Anger has erupted among residents regarding reported broken fire alarms and negligence from the renovation company.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) stated that those arrested in the corruption probe include directors from an engineering company and scaffolding subcontractors. Hong Kong's Labour and Welfare Secretary, Chris Sun, mentioned that his department had conducted 16 checks on the works at Wang Fuk Court since July of the previous year.
Wang Fuk Court, constructed in 1983, housed 1,984 apartments for approximately 4,600 residents, according to a 2021 government census.
