HONG KONG, June 12. /Dunyo IA/. The authorities of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have officially preferred charges against seven individuals and two corporate entities in connection with the catastrophic fire of November 2025, which tragically claimed 168 lives, reports Dunyo IA correspondent, citing with the “South China Morning Post”.

According to the investigation, the defendants face 25 charges, including manslaughter, conspiracy, money laundering, obstruction of justice and tax evasion.

As a reminder, the fire broke out on November 26, 2025, at the “Wang Fuk Court” residential complex in the Tai Po District. The blaze engulfed seven apartment buildings, resulting in the largest tragedy of its kind in Hong Kong in recent decades.

The investigation established that the accused were linked to a large-scale renovation project of the complex and performed various functions during the works. The consulting firm overseeing the project and the main contractor were also indicted.

Earlier, in March, the police reported the detention of 38 individuals suspected of involvement in the tragedy, including charges of manslaughter and fraud. Later, charges were preferred against nine defendants. Within the same month, the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) announced the arrest of an additional 23 individuals on suspicion of bribery and fraudulent conspiracy.

According to a spokesperson for the commission investigating the causes of the fire, virtually all fire safety systems failed to activate on the day of the tragedy due to human errors.

Photo by “AFP”