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HK Govt To Initially Provide ~1,800 Units for Affected Residents from Wang Fuk Court, $300M for Aid Fund, $10K Cash Subsidy/ Home
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The death toll from the No.5-alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po elevated to 94. A Government spokesman said on Thursday (27th) that the Chief Executive John Lee convened another cross-departmental meeting this morning to co-ordinate all policy bureaux and departments, actively advancing the response efforts in four key areas: extinguishing the fire and rescuing trapped residents, treating the injured, providing post-incident support, and conducting a comprehensive investigation. In terms of rescue efforts, among the eight buildings in Wang Fuk Court, the fires in seven affected blocks are largely under control. The Fire Services Department (FSD) is continuing its full effort to complete the search and rescue and firefighting operations on the remaining floors. During the fire, the FSD received 346 requests for assistance and has handled 296 of them. On medical support, the Primary Healthcare Commission co-ordinated professionals from the public and private medical sectors, including over 250 doctors and more than 250 other healthcare professionals from the private sector, to set up medical stations at all temporary shelters. The medical stations provide appropriate medical assistance for residents in need from 8am to 8pm daily, including basic medical assessments and referral services, treatment of mild injuries, drug prescriptions (including necessary medication refills based on one's medical history), and psychological support, with a view to assisting in managing non-emergency medical needs. The Spokesman said that to meet the short- and medium-term accommodation needs of affected residents, the Government has opened nine shelters, which are currently being used by over 500 residents. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau has contacted youth hostels and hotels, which will provide around 1,000 units for affected residents to stay in immediately for one to two weeks. The Government is also co-ordinating resources for transitional housing and dedicated rehousing units from the Hong Kong Housing Society, with an estimated 1,800 units to be made available later to meet the accommodation needs of the affected residents. Starting tonight, the Government will provide an emergency cash subsidy of HK$10,000 to each affected household to offer immediate relief. At the same time, the Government has established the "Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po", allocating HK$300 million as start-up capital to assist residents and support all relevant work. Regarding investigations, Police arrested two male directors and a male engineering consultant of a construction company in the small hours today. They are being detained for further enquiries. Police have also seized for further inspection materials at the scene that may not have met regulatory standards. Once the fire is extinguished and on-site safety is confirmed, Police will co-ordinate with the FSD to gather evidence and conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire. Separately, the Buildings Department (BD) and the Independent Checking Unit of the Housing Bureau today issued a letter to all registered building professionals and registered contractors requiring them to review relevant records or test certificates relating to fire retardant properties of the protective nets and the like used in scaffolds for ongoing projects (buildings under construction or existing buildings under maintenance). They must submit a report to the BD within seven days, after which the BD will conduct audit checks. At the same time, the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) has required contractors of building projects under public works contracts to review and submit the above-mentioned information within seven days. The ArchSD will also conduct audit checks. AAStocks Financial News |
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