The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government announced on Monday that all medical expenses for residents affected by the recent fire incident will be fully waived.
To better meet the medical needs of the victims, the Health Bureau of Hong Kong has introduced special measures. All injured individuals sent to public hospitals as a result of the fire will have their entire course of medical treatment and rehabilitation covered. Additionally, residents of all eight affected buildings will receive full medical-fee waivers until 31 December 2025.
As of 1 p.m. on the same day, the “Tai Po Hong Fuk Estate Assistance Fund,” established by the Hong Kong government, had received HK$1.3 billion in donations. Including the government’s HK$300 million allocation, the fund now stands at approximately HK$1.6 billion, which will be used to support residents in rebuilding their homes.
Earlier, the Hong Kong government announced that the fund would provide HK$200,000 in condolence payments and HK$50,000 in funeral support to the family of each deceased victim. In addition, every affected household will receive a HK$50,000 living allowance.
Since the evening of 27 November, the government has been distributing HK$10,000 in emergency relief grants to each affected family. As of 4 p.m. yesterday, 1,861 households had received the assistance.
As of 4 p.m. on the same day, the death toll from the fire had reached 151. Police stated that they aim to complete search and evidence-collection efforts within three weeks. Searches of five buildings have been completed, and on this day, an additional 600 personnel were deployed to inspect the remaining two severely damaged buildings. Police are also continuing efforts to locate missing individuals to confirm their status as soon as possible.
According to on-site investigations, samples of shade-net materials collected from seven locations within the burned building failed to meet fire-resistance standards. In addition to earlier arrests of three individuals responsible for engineering companies, police have detained ten more suspects linked to various engineering or engineering consultancy firms on charges related to manslaughter.
Source: China Media Group.