Fire engulfs bamboo scaffolding and spreads through the entire apartment block at the Wong Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po, Hong Kong, in November last year. [Reuters]
Fire engulfs bamboo scaffolding and spreads through the entire apartment block at the Wong Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po, Hong Kong, in November last year. [Reuters]

Hong Kong authorities have indicted seven individuals and two companies on charges including manslaughter following an investigation into the fire at the Wong Fuk Court apartment complex last November — the first indictments linked to the disaster.

Authorities announced Wednesday that they had charged Will Power Architects, which served as a consultant for renovation work underway at the complex, and Prestige Construction and Engineering, the main contractor, according to Reuters and the Financial Times. The seven individuals indicted are current and former directors of the firms, and also include the wife and a friend of one of the directors. Two of the seven were released on bail, while the remaining five remain in detention.

Hong Kong police filed 25 charges in connection with the fire. The companies face counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, tax evasion, money laundering and attempting to pervert the course of public justice. The individuals also face manslaughter charges, among others.

Authorities said an initial investigation into the cause of the fire found that substandard materials — including flammable polystyrene boards and safety netting — had accelerated its spread. Witnesses said a significant number of safety systems also failed to function properly. Victor Dos, a senior lawyer involved in the inquiry, told the Financial Times that "on the day of the fire, almost all fire safety equipment designed to protect lives was not working due to human error." The inquiry commission heard testimony that windows in the residential complex had been sealed with flammable foam and that most fire alarms did not sound. The commission is expected to submit its findings to the government later this year. The next court hearing is scheduled for September.

The Wong Fuk Court fire — the deadliest in Hong Kong's history — broke out on Nov. 26 last year and burned for two days, gutting seven residential towers. The disaster killed 168 people and injured 79 others, leaving thousands of residents without homes.


kate01@heraldcorp.com