HONG KONG, December 6. . Thousands of Hong Kong residents and tourists to the city after removing the barrier flocked to the burned-out residential area, where at least 159 people died. As reporters reported, people are leaving flowers to commemorate the victims of the strongest fire in decades.
“People started coming here all the time, many bringing flowers or just standing. Hundreds of people came and since the weekend started, there will be even more people,” the police surveillance command told .
A kind of memorial appeared next to the burned complex, where not only flowers, but also children's toys were placed in memory of the dead children, and water bottles were also placed as offerings to the victims of the fire. Nearby there is a stall where anyone can fold a paper crane and leave it here – this is the traditional symbol of immortality; it is believed that on its wings the souls of the dead go to heaven. Hundreds of colorful cranes were hung on strings next to burned houses.
There were also condolences hanging on the makeshift bleachers. There are notes not only in Chinese, but also in other languages, including Russian. “We mourn with you,” one of them read.
It is still forbidden to go near burned buildings. It is believed that this is still dangerous. Of the eight high-rise buildings, two that first caught fire were almost completely burned down, the remaining buildings were little affected by the fire and one was almost undamaged.
Authorities are assisting victims
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) administration of the People's Republic of China has established three task forces to overcome the consequences of the fire. As reported on the SAR's official website, the first group is to investigate the cause of the fire, the second group is to support the families of the dead and injured and raise funds, and the third group is to organize emergency accommodation.
According to official data, the support fund will provide the families of the victims with 200 thousand Hong Kong dollars ($25.7 thousand), as well as an additional 50 thousand Hong Kong dollars ($6.4 thousand) to cover funeral expenses. In addition, households affected by the fire will receive support of 100 thousand Hong Kong dollars (12.8 thousand USD). All fire victims were provided with free housing.
So far, a total of 1,369 residents of the burned complex are staying in dormitories or hotels. An additional 2,499 residents moved into temporary housing provided by the Hong Kong Housing Department. In addition, temporary accommodation centers continue to operate, where people remain.
The fire started on November 26 at a complex of eight high-rise buildings, Wang Fuk Court, in the Tai Po area, known as Hong Kong's New Territories. One building was practically undamaged, while seven were engulfed in flames. According to the latest information, 159 people died, 37 victims are still hospitalized, 4 of them are in critical condition, about 30 people are listed as missing. The fire spread through construction mesh and bamboo scaffolding installed on these buildings for cosmetic repairs. The complex has almost 2 thousand apartments, about 4 thousand people live there. There are currently no reports of Russian citizens injured in the fire in Hong Kong. As Consul Ekaterina Bogucharskaya, press secretary of the Russian Consulate General in Hong Kong, previously told , Russian diplomats are closely monitoring the developments of the situation.
The current fire is the most serious in a residential building in the city's history. Previously, the largest number of deaths in a residential building fire in an urban area was the Garley Building fire in 1996, which killed 41 people and injured 81 people. At the same time, Hong Kong also recorded more catastrophic fires, but not in residential buildings. The deadliest in urban history began on February 27, 1918 at Happy Valley Racetrack. More than 600 people died after a temporary stand collapsed and a fire broke out. Another fire occurred on Des Voeux Road West in 1948, when a block of celluloid film caught fire in a warehouse and spread to living quarters, killing 176 people and injuring 69 others.
