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Officials in Hong Kong have taken into custody 13 people on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with last week’s catastrophic blaze, amid growing criticism over the arrests of civilians demanding accountability.

Search Continues as Fatalities Rises

Rescue teams continued to search through the seven towers of the Wang Fuk Court residential area in the Tai Po district on Monday, days after the city’s deadliest fire in seven and a half decades. The death toll reached 151 and is expected to rise higher as the operation goes on. Approximately 40 people are currently missing.

Construction Work Connected with Cause of Blaze

The estate, home to almost five thousand people, had been undergoing extensive renovations that have been linked to the origin of the blaze. In the wake of the tragedy, public fury has escalated over alleged past safety violations by the construction company working at the location and lax enforcement of safety codes, fuelled by disclosures that occupants had been voicing concerns over the work for a year.

Those Detained Include Corporate Executives

On Monday afternoon, authorities said the anti-graft agency had detained 13 people over the tragedy so far, including the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, and had “immediately begun a thorough probe along the lines of involuntary manslaughter”.

Safety Failures Revealed

A top administrator stated that seven of twenty tested specimens of the scaffolding net used around the towers did not meet flame-resistance requirements. Initial testing had found samples were compliant, but the spokesperson said the less expensive, noncompliant material had been put in areas hard to reach in order to avoid discovery, describing it as a “shameful act”.

“Their sole aim was to make money at the expense of human lives,” the official stated.

Civilians Detained Amid Demands for Accountability

As allegations of safety lapses mount, alongside reports that government authorities had issued multiple apparently unenforced warnings, the public have asked why no officials have yet been held accountable. Instead, two members of the public were reportedly arrested by national security police.

One individual, named as a local student, was detained over an online petition that made “four requests” for assured assistance for the victims and responsibility for those at fault, including any negligent or responsible government officials.

Reports said the student was arrested for “inciting disaffection”. Law enforcement did not verify the detention, saying only that they “will take actions according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law”.

News outlets also covered the arrest of a ex-local representative.

Government Statement on Arrests

Asked about the detentions, the secretary of security said there had been “misleading statements on the internet” that were aimed to undermine public security. “Therefore, we must take appropriate measures, including police action,” the secretary told a media briefing. “Operational details cannot be revealed as they involve national security.”

Social Media Response and Parallels Made

On Hong Kong social media, people criticised the arrests of civilians. “State security must be prioritised even if the dead are still trapped in the building,” said one.

Some commenters drew comparisons to the Chinese mainland. “There, such acts are called ‘creating disturbances’,” said one commenter. “It’s usually met with heavy sentences. Social order overrides everything.”

Another said: “Since we are aligning with mainland China’s approach, by targeting the person who raises the question, no one will venture to question, and therefore Hong Kong’s governance will have no problems.”

Increased Scrutiny and Volunteer Efforts

The arrests followed warnings by security officials that they would crack down on anyone deemed to be using the incident to incite “hostile” feelings.

Before the arrests, authorities had already demonstrated increased vigilance to the public reaction. Since the suppression of earlier unrest, public assemblies have been strictly regulated. In the days following the fire, community volunteers rapidly established relief efforts, with many individuals employing vehicles and transit to bring in large quantities of clothes, supplies and other essentials for the victims.

However, by nightfall, armed police were monitoring the vicinity, and government officials eventually assumed control from the community coordinators.

The appeal over which the student was allegedly detained was initiated late on Friday. Its “four points” mirrored the terminology of previous campaigns but did not advocate political change.

The student told reporters that he was only “putting forward fundamental requests”.

“Should these suggestions are deemed subversive or ‘transgressive’, then I believe I cannot foresee the consequences of anything any more, and I can only do what I sincerely think is correct,” he said.