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Authorities in the city have detained 13 individuals on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter related to the recent catastrophic blaze, amid growing criticism over the detentions of citizens demanding accountability.

Search Continues as Fatalities Rises

Emergency services persisted in combing through the seven-building complex of the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po on the start of the week, following the city’s deadliest fire in seven and a half decades. The number of fatalities reached one hundred and fifty-one and is anticipated to climb further as the search continues. About forty people are currently missing.

Construction Work Connected with Cause of Blaze

The estate, home to nearly five thousand people, had been undergoing extensive renovations that have been associated with the fire’s cause. In the wake of the tragedy, anger has grown over reported past safety violations by the construction company working at the site and poor oversight of safety codes, spurred on by disclosures that residents had been voicing concerns over the work for a twelve months.

Those Detained Include Corporate Executives

On Monday afternoon, officials said the anti-graft agency had arrested thirteen people over the disaster so far, including the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, and had “promptly initiated a thorough probe along the lines of manslaughter”.

Substandard Materials Uncovered

A senior official stated that 7 of 20 tested samples of the scaffolding net used around the towers did not meet flame-resistance requirements. Preliminary checks had found materials were up to code, but the official said the less expensive, substandard netting had been put in areas difficult to access in order to evade detection, labeling it a “deplorable deed”.

“Their sole aim was to profit at the cost of people’s lives,” he said.

Civilians Arrested Amid Calls for Accountability

As accusations of safety violations grow, alongside reports that official bodies had issued several apparently unenforced warnings, residents have asked why no officials have yet been held accountable. Conversely, two members of the public were reportedly arrested by national security police.

One individual, identified as a local student, was arrested over an internet appeal that made “four requests” for assured assistance for the affected families and accountability for those at fault, including any corrupt or responsible public servants.

Reports said the individual was arrested for “inciting disaffection”. Police did not confirm the detention, saying only that they “will act according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law”.

Local media also covered the detention of a former district councillor.

Official Response on Detentions

Questioned about the arrests, the secretary of security said there had been “misleading statements on the internet” that were aimed to undermine national security. “As a result, we must take necessary steps, including police action,” the official told a media briefing. “Specifics of the operation cannot be disclosed as they involve state security.”

Social Media Response and Comparisons Drawn

On Hong Kong social media, people condemned the detention of citizens. “State security must be prioritised even if the victims are still buried in the building,” said a comment.

Some commenters drew comparisons to mainland China. “The mainland, such acts are called ‘creating disturbances’,” said one commenter. “They are typically punished with heavy sentences. Social order overrides everything.”

Another said: “Now that we are aligning with mainland China’s approach, by targeting the person who raises the question, no one will dare to ask, and therefore Hong Kong’s governance will have no issues.”

Increased Scrutiny and Community Response

The arrests followed advisories by security officials that they would take action against anyone considered to be using the tragedy to stir up “hostile” sentiment.

Prior to the detentions, authorities had already begun showing heightened sensitivity to the public reaction. Since the suppression of earlier protests, civilian gatherings have been strictly regulated. In the days following the fire, volunteer supporters rapidly established aid operations, with hundreds of people using vehicles and transit to bring in mountains of clothes, supplies and other essentials for the victims.

Nevertheless, by nightfall, armed police were patrolling the vicinity, and public authorities soon took over from the community coordinators.

The appeal over which the individual was reportedly arrested was initiated on Friday evening. Its “four demands” echoed the terminology of previous protest movements but did not call for political change.

The individual informed media that he was only “putting forward very basic demands”.

“If these ideas are deemed subversive or ‘transgressive’, then I believe I cannot foresee the outcomes of any action any more, and I can only do what I truly believe is correct,” he stated.