Authorities in Hong Kong have ordered the removal of scaffolding mesh from buildings undergoing renovations by Saturday, as investigations continue into the Chinese territory's deadliest blaze in decades.
It is now known that 159 people died as a result of the fire last Wednesday at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex - with 31 still missing.
Investigators have found that a protective netting used around the complex, which had been undergoing extensive renovations, failed to meet flame retardant standards.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said new guidelines for testing materials used in scaffolding would be issued next week.
Around 200 private residential and 10 public buildings are currently undergoing renovations in Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post reports that about 300 buildings will be affected by the removal order.
Linn stated, I assure the public that we will chase to the end the accountability of any contractors using substandard scaffolding mesh. Samples have already been taken from mesh for testing.
At Wang Fuk Court, flames spread quickly across separate tower blocks on protective mesh netting and other flammable materials on the outside of the buildings, officials said.
Police have made at least 15 arrests for manslaughter as the investigation into the cause of the fire proceeds. On Wednesday, they said they had completed their searches of the interiors of all seven of the complex's towers and would now search for bodies in other areas of the buildings such as the remnants of the bamboo scaffolding.
Police Commissioner Joe Chow noted, We have not finished our work. As you can see... a lot of bamboo has fallen down. We still need to do some work to see if any bodies were covered by the bamboo. He added that 140 of the 159 bodies found to date had been identified.
A married couple in their 70s, who lost their home in the blaze, expressed their grief as they returned to the site. They described the fear and helplessness they felt as the fire spread uncontrollably, destroying their community.
Their daughter voiced hope for a thorough investigation into the incident, questioning if there were underlying issues of corruption or negligence involved.
