For 17 odd years as a pastor, Reverend Jenny Lam Yat-kwan witnessed life and death and helped those in despair, but after losing three members of her family in the devastating Tai Po fire in Hong Kong, she needed all the courage and strength she could draw from God. Lam, the pastor of ELCHK Diamond…
A Filipino domestic worker who fled Hong Kong’s deadly inferno with her employers’ three-year-old daughter in her arms has expressed regret that she was unable to persuade a neighbour who perished in the blaze to also try to escape. Reinalyn Niere, who arrived in the city last year, said she was asleep with the child…
By noon on Sunday, four days after the fire began, the government’s support fund had grown to HK$1.2 billion (US$153 million), with HK$900 million in public donations and HK$300 million in government grants. The total does not include donations to non-governmental organisations such as the Hong Kong Red Cross. About HK$1 billion was raised in…
Police have issued warnings for a second day in a row about scammers preying on grieving Hongkongers under the guise of donations and relief efforts, with aid pouring in for victims of Wednesday’s deadly inferno at a Tai Po housing estate. Police said in an online post on Sunday that officers had noticed a fraudulent…
Hong Kong’s “top priority” is to resettle residents displaced by the Tai Po fire so they can get through the winter, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has said, as the city’s major monetary and banking authorities roll out measures to ease their immediate financial burdens. On Sunday, Chan highlighted the banking industry’s emergency support measures…
A Hong Kong government subsidy of HK$60,000 (US$7,710) for victims of the Tai Po fire is only for residents living in Wang Fuk Court, the home affairs minister has clarified amid alleged cases of abuse online. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said on Saturday that authorities had not received any formal…
Systemic failings around supervision of building maintenance in Hong Kong, and a lack of coordination between departments charged with ensuring it is done properly, both needed to be addressed to prevent tragedies such as the Tai Po fire happening again, experts and sector representatives have said. The regulation of polystyrene foam boards was particularly important,…
Systemic failings around supervision of building maintenance in Hong Kong, and a lack of coordination between departments charged with ensuring it is done properly, both needed to be addressed to prevent tragedies such as the Tai Po fire happening again, experts and sector representatives have said. The regulation of polystyrene foam boards was particularly important,…
Hong Kong’s insurance sector is expected to face record claims of HK$2.6 billion (US$334 million) related to the deadly fire in Tai Po, the worst in seven decades that claimed 75 lives and seriously damaged seven buildings, according to industry insiders. The fire would lead to a surge in insurance payments for personal and property…
Regal Hotels International will offer free lodging at a dozen of its hotels across Hong Kong to the victims of Wednesday’s Tai Po fire, as it joins other hoteliers and corporate donors in rushing to the aid of the city’s worst blaze in seven decades. The hotel will make 160 rooms freely available to those…