Shock is giving way to anger in Hong Kong after a massive fire ripped through a densely populated subsidised housing estate on Wednesday, killing at least 128 people and critically injuring dozens.
Authorities say substandard mesh and plastic sheets on the buildings' windows may have spread the blaze, which raged for more than a day.
Firefighting operations have now ended, with dozens of residents still unaccounted for.
Questions are mounting as to how the fire at Wang Fuk Court spread so rapidly and who is responsible, with many calling it a man-made disaster.
Three people in charge of renovating the blocks are under arrest for manslaughter, and authorities have launched a corruption inquiry.
A viral social media post following the blaze asserts: It's not an accident. Several residents reported that the fire alarm had not sounded when the blaze erupted.
Kiko Ma, who owns an apartment at Wang Fuk Court, stated that alarms had been disabled amid renovation efforts, allowing construction workers to use fire escapes to access the building.
This was preventable... A lot of people did not do their duties, she expressed, highlighting the use of poor quality, flammable materials by the renovation firm.
Residents often raised concerns regarding construction workers smoking near the wooden scaffolding that encased their homes.
This disaster marks the deadliest fire in Hong Kong in over six decades, surpassing the toll from the 1962 Sham Shui Po incident that killed 44 people.
Built in the 1980s, the Wang Fuk Court estate houses around 4,600 residents, many of whom are elderly. Authorities are now investigating whether the renovation materials complied with safety standards.
In addition to fatalities, hundreds of residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters, and emergency housing units are being allocated as inspections of all housing estates undergoing major repairs are mandated to ensure safety compliance.
Calls from residents for greater transparency and accountability in management practices are intensifying as further inspections and public inquiries are anticipated.
