Hong KongAP —
Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday indicted seven people and two companies on charges including manslaughter and conspiracy over the city’s deadliest fire in decades last November.
On November 26, 2025, a large-scale fire destroyed seven apartment buildings and killed 168 people. Former residents and relatives of the dead have been waiting for answers for months since a fire shattered the close-knit community of Wang Fu Court, home to thousands of people on the outskirts of Tai Po.
Police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption have charged the suspects with 25 offences, authorities said in a statement on Wednesday. The charges also included money laundering, attempting to pervert the course of public justice and tax evasion.
Seven people each played a different role in the major renovation project at Wangfu Court. The two companies indicted were the project consulting company and the main contractor involved in the project.
The case was scheduled to be heard in court Wednesday afternoon.
Police announced in March that they had arrested 38 people on charges including manslaughter and fraud related to the complex. According to police, nine people have been charged. In the same month, anti-corruption authorities announced the arrest of 23 people on charges including bribery and conspiracy to commit fraud.
Victor Dawes, a lawyer representing the independent commission that is conducting an ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire, previously said human error caused nearly all fire protection systems to fail on the day of the fire.
