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Authorities in Hong Kong have detained thirteen people on suspected charges of manslaughter in connection with the recent catastrophic blaze, amid increasing public outcry over the arrests of citizens calling for accountability.

Ongoing Rescue Operations as Fatalities Climbs

Rescue teams continued to search through the seven-building complex of the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po on the start of the week, days after the city’s deadliest fire in 75 years. The death toll reached 151 and is anticipated to climb further as the search goes on. Approximately forty people are still unaccounted for.

Renovations Connected with Cause of Blaze

The estate, home to nearly 5,000 people, had been undergoing major refurbishment that have been linked to the fire’s cause. In the aftermath, public fury has escalated over reported previous safety breaches by the construction company working at the site and lax enforcement of standards, fuelled by disclosures that occupants had been complaining about the renovations for a twelve months.

Arrests Include Corporate Executives

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

Safety Failures Revealed

A top administrator stated that seven of 20 tested specimens of the scaffolding net used around the towers did not meet fire-retardant standards. Initial testing had found materials were compliant, but the spokesperson said the cheaper, noncompliant material had been installed in areas difficult to access in order to evade detection, labeling it a “deplorable deed”.

“Their sole aim was to make money at the expense of human lives,” the official stated.

Civilians Arrested Amid Demands for Accountability

As accusations of safety violations mount, alongside revelations that government authorities had issued multiple apparently ignored cautions, the public have asked why no officials have yet faced consequences. Instead, two members of the public were reportedly taken into custody by security forces.

One individual, named as a Hong Kong student, was arrested over an online petition that made “four demands” for guaranteed support for the affected families and accountability for those at to blame, including any corrupt or responsible government officials.

Local media said the student was arrested for “seditious intention”. Police did not confirm the detention, saying only that they “will act according to the situation and in accordance with the legal framework”.

Local media also reported the arrest of a former district councillor.

Official Response on Arrests

Questioned about the detentions, the secretary of security said there had been “misleading statements on the internet” that were intended to undermine public security. “As a result, we must take necessary steps, including police action,” the official told a media briefing. “Operational details cannot be disclosed as they concern national security.”

Social Media Response and Comparisons Made

On Hong Kong social media, people criticised the detention of citizens. “State security must be given precedence even if the dead are still trapped in the structure,” said one.

Several users drew comparisons to the Chinese mainland. “There, these crimes are called ‘creating disturbances’,” said a user. “It’s usually punished with severe penalties. Social order overrides everything.”

Another said: “Since we are following the mainland’s approach, by dealing with the individual who asks questions, no one will venture to question, and therefore the city's administration will have no problems.”

Increased Scrutiny and Community Response

The detentions followed advisories by national security authorities that they would take action against anyone deemed to be using the incident to incite “anti-China” sentiment.

Before the arrests, officials had already begun showing heightened sensitivity to the community response. Since the suppression of earlier unrest, public assemblies have been tightly controlled. In the immediate aftermath, volunteer supporters rapidly established relief efforts, with hundreds of people employing vehicles and transit to deliver large quantities of garments, supplies and other necessities for the survivors.

However, by nightfall, officers were patrolling the area, and public authorities eventually took over from the volunteer organisers.

The appeal over which the student was reportedly detained was launched late on Friday. Its “four demands” mirrored the terminology of past campaigns but did not call for systemic reform.

The student told reporters that he was only “proposing very basic demands”.

“Should these suggestions are considered seditious or ‘transgressive’, then I believe I can’t predict the consequences of anything any more, and I can only do what I truly believe is right,” he said.