HONG KONG — An outpouring of grief swept Hong Kong yesterday as thousands paid their respects and laid flowers for the 128 people killed in one of the city’s deadliest fires, marking the start of an official three-day mourning period.
People from across the city flocked to a small park near the charred shell of Wang Fuk Court, the residential complex that burned for more than 40 hours, to place white and yellow flowers and leave handwritten messages of remembrance.
The queue kept growing and by nightfall the area was filled with solemn mourners, many dressed in dark colours.
A 69-year-old woman surnamed Wong, who lived in the estate for more than four decades, sat dazed nearby as she counted off a list of deceased neighbours and friends.
“It was a grandmother with an 18-month-old baby... I was very close with them,” Wong told AFP, adding that many of the elderly homeowners had a tight bond.
“Yesterday it was confirmed they died.”
Even for those who were physically unscathed, some—like resident Wong Kuen-mui, a 67-year-old insurance worker — struggled with a profound sense of loss.
“Forty years’ worth of memories have all been lost... All the old photos (of my children) are gone, it’s hard to recall what they looked like as kids, and that’s the most painful,” she said.
Elsewhere in the Tai Po neighbourhood, a hall in a community centre was turned into a “condolence point” for the public, one of 18 across the Chinese finance hub.
A man surnamed Ki, 52, was among the dozens who queued to sign the condolence book in silence, which was only broken by sounds of sobbing.
“I can’t do anything. I can only hope they rest in peace,” he told AFP.
Raymond Tang, who was also in the queue, said his wish was that the deceased can “cross the sea of suffering and depart to the other side”.
City leader John Lee and top ministers stood in silence for three minutes at 8am outside the government headquarters, where the flags of China and Hong Kong were flown at half-mast.
During the mourning period, celebratory events organised by the government will be axed or postponed, and officials will reduce their non-essential public appearances.
Meanwhile, China launched a campaign against “major fire risks and hazards” in high-rise buildings, state broadcaster CCTV reported yesterday.
The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong said yesterday it had confirmed that an overseas Filipino worker had died in the fire.
