Authorities say the three people they have arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in relation to the fire are aged between 52 and 68 years old.
The South China Morning Post reports the three men are two directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, who were arrested about 2am (5am AEDT).
Firefighters work to extinguish the fire that broke out at Wang Fuk Court.Credit: AP
Senior Superintendent Eileen Chung Lai-yee of the police force’s New Territories North regional headquarters says officers discovered that flammable foam materials found inside the building were installed by a construction engineering company.
“Police have reason to believe that the company’s responsible persons were grossly negligent, which led to the incident and caused the fire to spread rapidly, resulting in serious casualties,” she told the South China Morning Post.
The building complex had been undergoing renovation, with bamboo scaffolding and construction netting set up around some of the buildings. Earlier today, Hong Kong’s secretary for security Chris Tang said this made the fire spread faster than it ordinarily would on regulated building materials. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
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In a press conference in the past hour, authorities also said firefighters have brought the flames in four of the buildings under control, up from three in a previous update.
They said search efforts have started on the lower levels and are moving up through the 13th to 23rd floors in some of the buildings.
“Firefighters are expected to reach the top floors by dusk, with 26 rescue teams at work,” reported the Post.
Reuters, AP