By Alice GibbsShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberGlobal intelligence company Vantor has released dramatic before-and-after satellite images showing the scale of devastation at a Hong Kong housing complex where a massive fire has killed dozens and left hundreds unaccounted for.
Vantor collected fresh imagery on November 27, capturing multiple high-rise towers at the Wang Fuk Court complex reduced to charred shells as smoke continued to pour out of several buildings.
The newly released photos contrast sharply with earlier satellite imagery taken before the disaster in the Tai Po district.
Blaze That Tore Through Seven Towers
The fire at the housing complex, which ignited on Wednesday afternoon, spread rapidly across bamboo scaffolding and green netting wrapped around the buildings for renovation works.
The death toll rose to 75 on Thursday, making it one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires in decades.
Rescue crews were still moving from apartment to apartment in the dark, battling extreme heat and smoke as orange flames were visible through shattered windows.
Local authorities have said contact was lost with well over 200 residents as of early Thursday. Crews are working floor by floor in hazardous, unstable conditions.
Deputy Director of Fire Services Wong Ka-wing said teams had rescued survivors even from upper floors, despite collapsed scaffolding and intense temperatures.
...Criminal Investigation Underway
Hong Kong officials have launched a wide-ranging criminal probe into the cause of the fast-moving blaze.
Three men—the directors and an engineering consultant of the renovation contractor, Prestige Construction & Engineering Company—have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
"We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” said Eileen Chung, a senior superintendent of police.
Police also searched the office of Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, seizing boxes of documents.
Authorities said some exterior materials may not have met fire-resistance standards, enabling the fire’s unusually rapid spread across buildings. Highly flammable Styrofoam was also reportedly found around windows in at least one tower.
As firefighters continue their search, families have gathered at shelters and command posts seeking word on missing loved ones.
The housing complex, built in the 1980s, housed nearly 4,800 people across eight towers.
Officials acknowledged Thursday that Hong Kong may now need to reconsider its reliance on bamboo scaffolding—an industry staple—as the investigation examines whether metal alternatives would have slowed the spread.
This article uses reporting by The Associated Press.
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