King Charles issues heartfelt message to Hong Kong after at least 128 were killed in deadly tower block blaze – as search for bodies in scorched skyscrapers continues

King Charles has issued a heartfelt message to Hong Kong after a deadly blaze ripped through a tower block and killed at least 128 people.

In a letter published today, the King said he and Queen Camilla were ‘greatly saddened to learn of the devastating fire’, and that they ‘feel deeply’ for the people of Hong Kong.

The message comes as the search for bodies in the scorched skyscrapers continues, with authorities warning that the death toll could still rise further.

‘My wife and I were greatly saddened to learn of the devastating fire in Tai Po and feel deeply for the people of Hong Kong at such a tragic time,’ the King wrote.

‘Our most heartfelt thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones and with those who are now living with shock and uncertainty.’

He went on to praise the  ‘extraordinary courage’ of the emergency services and the ‘determined spirit’ of community members who helped with the rescue effort. 

‘In the face of such appalling tragedy, strength can be found in supporting one another, and we see that same bravery in Hong Kong at this most heartbreaking of times,’ the letter added.

The King concluded by offering ‘profound sympathy’ to all those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected by the tragedy. 

‘The families and loved ones of those whose precious lives have been lost, and the people of Hong Kong, will remain in our prayers and in our hearts,’ he wrote. 

The floor-to-floor search for bodies began today in Hong Kong’s charred towers where hundreds of people are feared to have died.

At least 128 people are now known to have been killed in the blaze that started Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court in the suburban Tai Po district.

Dozens more were injured, and about 900 of the 4,800 residents were evacuated to temporary shelter.

Photographs show emergency workers bringing out the first victims from the blackened towers, as well as the pets that miraculously survived the inferno.

Seven of the eight 32-storey towers in the building complex were engulfed in flames after construction materials and bamboo scaffolding spread the fire. Officials said extreme heat was hampering rescue efforts.

Officials are investigating why construction materials, netting and bamboo scaffolding being used in renovations to the exterior of the buildings caught fire.

Eight people have been arrested over the devastating blaze, including the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, on suspicion of manslaughter.

Police did not name the company, but they searched the office of Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., which was in charge of the renovations. Phone calls to the company’s offices went unanswered.

Officials said they suspect that some materials, such as plastic foam panels being used to protect windows from damage, did not meet fire resistance standards. High winds helped spread the flames.

It took more than 1,000 firefighters some 24 hours to bring the blaze under control, and even nearly two days later, smoke continued to drift out of the charred skeletons of the buildings from the occasional flare-up.

The final search of the buildings was expected to be completed later on Friday at which point officials have said they will officially end the rescue phase of their operation at the complex in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near Hong Kong’s border with mainland China.

It was unclear how many people could possibly be inside the buildings, which had almost 2,000 apartments.

‘We will endeavour to force entry into all the units of the seven blocks concerned so as to ensure that there are no other possible casualties,’ said Derek Armstrong Chan, a deputy director of Hong Kong Fire Services.

Firefighters struggled to bring the blaze under control as their ladders and hoses could only reach just over halfway up the 32-storey buildings, or about 174 feet – under 20 stories.

High winds and extremely high heat may have prevented use of aerial equipment such as helicopters. The high temperatures also deterred firefighters from entering the buildings to fight the blaze and rescue survivors, said Derek Armstrong Chan, a deputy director of Hong Kong’s Fire Services.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said the government would set up a task force to investigate the fire and the case would be submitted to the Coroner’s Court, which conducts inquiries into the causes and circumstances of certain deaths.

Lee said the government planned to inspect all housing estates undergoing major repairs to review the safety of scaffolding and construction materials. He also promised to provide ‘all possible support’ to those affected by the fire.

The hundreds of survivors who were evacuated or were outside the buildings at the time the fire started were staying in temporary shelters, including a nearby school.

There, workers were distributing bottled water, food and other necessities. Volunteers were bringing supplies like water and snacks.

More than 70 people were injured, including about a dozen firefighters, the city’s Fire Services Department said.

Among the dead was a 37-year-old firefighter, who was found with burns on his face half an hour after losing contact with colleagues.

He had been with the service for nine years.

About a third of Hong Kong residents live in the government’s Housing Authority dwellings. Wang Fuk Court is privately owned but subsidised housing built in the 1980s.

The basic apartments in the complex measure 430-485 square feet, according to online real estate listings. Like most Hong Kong mass market housing, they appear to lack smoke detectors or sprinkler systems.

The buildings were constructed before revisions to Hong Kong’s fire codes required mandatory fire-refuge floors.

Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents mostly live in cramped apartments crammed on scarce flat lands or perched on the slopes of steep mountainsides. Many of those high-rise buildings are crowded closely together.

The fire was deadlier than a 1996 blaze in a commercial building in Kowloon that killed 41 people. A warehouse fire in 1948 killed 176 people.

Police said the company leaders in charge of the renovation of the apartments were suspected of gross negligence and seized bidding documents, a list of employees, 14 computers and three mobile phones in a raid of the construction business’ office.

The apartments from which a total of 25 unanswered rescue calls were received, which are being prioritised, were primarily on higher floors, where the fire was the last to be extinguished, Mr Chan said.

Most of the casualties were in the first two buildings to catch fire.

The apartment complex housed many older people.

Crowds gathered in nearby streets and public areas to organise aid for displaced residents and firefighters, part of a spontaneous effort that drew people from across the city.

‘It’s truly touching. The spirit of Hong Kong people is that when one is in trouble, everyone lends support… It shows that Hong Kong people are full of love,’ Stone Ngai, 38, one of the organisers of an impromptu aid station, told AFP.

Multiple residents of Wang Fuk Court said that they did not hear any fire alarm and had to go door-to-door to alert neighbours to the danger.

‘The fire spread so quickly. I saw one hose trying to save several buildings, and I felt it was far too slow,’ said a man surnamed Suen, recalling his plight the day before.

‘Ringing doorbells, knocking on doors, alerting the neighbours, telling them to leave – that’s what the situation was like.’

Another displaced resident, Wong Sik-kam, recalled how his son was one of the firefighters dispatched to the scene.

‘My son called me and told me about the fire… I thought it was just a normal fire, like a kitchen accident that would be put out. Who knew it would get so bad?’ Wong said.

As firefighters battled floor by floor in the flaming housing complex to find survivors and reunite them with fearful relatives, another band of volunteers swung into action to rescue the estate’s pets.

Dozens of workers from Hong Kong’s animal welfare agencies turned out with oxygenated pet carriers and animal ambulances to search for pets in the blazing complex, as social media posts depicted elderly people weeping for animals they left behind in the rush to save human lives.

Some animal welfare workers carrying cages even negotiated with police to allow them through cordons keeping out the public.

‘Pet owners contacted our alliance and we compiled a list of more than 100 cases,’ said Anson Cheng, of the animal welfare group Hong Kong Guardians.

‘We shared the cases with firefighters so that they can help check the flats and pick up the pets if they see them.’

By Thursday morning, at least 10 cats, seven dogs and several turtles had been rescued.

Hong Kong’s system of micro-chipping dogs and cats meant it was possible that some survivors could be reunited with pets that managed to escape the blaze, said Cheng.

Huddling under a blanket in a nearby park, a woman surnamed Law said she had been waiting for her cat and had been searching online platforms for news.

She had left 10-year-old Fa when she fled her apartment, expecting to return.

‘It was a very small fire when I went down,’ she said. ‘Half an hour later, the fire already went all the way to the top. Nearby areas were also burning, there’s no way to get back in. I feel bad.’

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency said on Thursday it was investigating possible corruption relating to the renovation project.

Authorities planned immediate inspections of housing estates undergoing major renovations to ensure scaffolding and construction materials meet safety standards.