Hong Kong contractors will be required to provide proof that the scaffolding mesh they use is fire-retardant while samples will also be tested in designated laboratories after arriving in the city under a series of measures rolled out by the government in the wake of the deadly fire in Tai Po. Secretary for Development Bernadette…
The owners’ corporation of the Hong Kong housing estate destroyed in last month’s deadly fire is seeking to oust the main contractor and consultant for renovation works after staff from both companies were arrested for alleged manslaughter and corruption. The Fire Services Department, meanwhile, revealed on Thursday that it had conferred the honorary title of…
The wages of scaffolding workers in Hong Kong are likely to increase as plastic meshes that have passed a new mandatory fire safety test are expected to be installed at more than 200 buildings from next month, according to a construction industry representative. But another construction industry leader said on Friday that the cost of…
A jobless Hong Kong man has been remanded in custody on suspicion of defrauding HK$18,000 (US$2,313) in financial aid intended for those affected by last month’s deadly Tai Po fire. Kwai Chung resident Fung Chun-kit, 36, was not required to enter a plea during his first appearance at Fanling Court on Friday, as prosecutors sought…
Hong Kong’s development minister has said there is no need for an across-the-board switch from bamboo to metal scaffolding, saying the former was not the cause of last month’s deadly Tai Po fire. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho’s stance on Thursday appeared to mark a shift from that of Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki,…
Hundreds of children whose school near the scene of Hong Kong’s deadly blaze that has been temporarily closed are finding their classes at two university campuses to be an eye-opening experience, educators have said, with some pupils planning on becoming vets or teachers. Tai Po Baptist Public School, located opposite Wang Fuk Court in Tai…
With the rise of social media and generative AI, how much of what we see online is true? In this new series, SCMP Fact-Check, the Post investigates claims circulating online and debunks viral misinformation impacting the daily lives of Hongkongers. “A firefighter holding a cat he saved from the Hong Kong fire,” reads the superimposed…
Hong Kong authorities will announce new requirements for contractors to sample and certify the city’s scaffolding nets as early as Thursday, under which every batch of materials sampled on site could be required to pass a fire-retardant test at authorised laboratories after the deadly blaze in Tai Po, the Post has learned. Insiders said on…
Hong Kong police have arrested a man suspected of posing as a victim of the city’s deadliest fire in decades and scamming nearly HK$20,000 (US$2,600) in financial aid from several social welfare organisations. The 36-year-old suspect allegedly obtained a copy of another man’s identity card and used it to successfully apply for an “emergency relief…
Hong Kong’s largest political party has proposed five relief options for those displaced by the Tai Po fire, such as a government buy-back of ruined homes and community redevelopment, after gathering views from more than 1,000 Wang Fuk Court residents. The party’s 20 elected lawmakers and two of its district councillors on Wednesday met the…