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Authorities in Hong Kong have taken into custody 13 individuals on suspected charges of manslaughter in connection with last week’s catastrophic blaze, amid growing public outcry over the arrests of citizens demanding accountability.

Search Continues as Death Toll Climbs

Emergency services continued to search through the seven-building complex of the Wang Fuk Court residential area in Tai Po on the start of the week, following the city’s deadliest fire in 75 years. The number of fatalities reached one hundred and fifty-one and is anticipated to climb further as the operation continues. About forty people are still missing.

Construction Work Linked to Cause of Blaze

The estate, housing nearly five thousand people, had been undergoing extensive renovations that have been associated with the origin of the blaze. In the aftermath, anger has escalated over reported past safety violations by the construction company working at the site and lax enforcement of safety codes, spurred on by disclosures that occupants had been voicing concerns over the work for a year.

Arrests Include Corporate Executives

On Monday afternoon, officials said anti-corruption authorities had detained 13 people over the tragedy so far, including the executives and an engineering consultant of a contracting firm, and had “promptly initiated comprehensive investigation along the lines of manslaughter”.

Safety Failures Uncovered

A senior official stated that 7 of twenty tested samples of the scaffolding net used around the buildings did not meet flame-resistance requirements. Preliminary checks had found samples were up to code, but the official said the cheaper, noncompliant netting had been installed in areas hard to reach in order to evade detection, labeling it a “deplorable deed”.

“They just wanted to profit at the cost of human lives,” the official stated.

Citizens Detained Amid Calls for Accountability

As allegations of safety lapses grow, alongside reports that government authorities had issued multiple seemingly unenforced warnings, the public have questioned why no government figures have yet been held accountable. Instead, two members of the public were reportedly taken into custody by security forces.

A person, named as a local student, was arrested over an online petition that made “four demands” for assured assistance for the affected families and accountability for those at fault, including any corrupt or responsible public servants.

Reports said the individual was detained for “inciting disaffection”. Law enforcement did not verify the arrest, saying only that they “will act according to actual circumstances and in compliance with the legal framework”.

Local media also covered the detention of a former district councillor.

Official Response on Arrests

Questioned about the arrests, the secretary of security said there had been “misleading statements on the internet” that were intended to undermine public security. “As a result, we must take necessary steps, including law enforcement measures,” the secretary told a press conference. “Specifics of the operation cannot be revealed as they involve national security.”

Public Reaction and Comparisons Drawn

On Hong Kong social media, people condemned the detention of citizens. “State security must be given precedence even if the victims are still trapped in the structure,” said a comment.

Some commenters drew comparisons to mainland China. “There, such acts are termed ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’,” said one commenter. “They are typically met with severe penalties. Social order trumps everything.”

A different user said: “Now that we are following mainland China’s methods, by targeting the person who raises the question, nobody will dare to ask, and thus Hong Kong’s governance will have no issues.”

Increased Scrutiny and Community Response

The arrests followed advisories by security officials that they would take action against anyone considered to be using the incident to stir up “anti-China” feelings.

Before the arrests, authorities had already begun showing heightened sensitivity to the public reaction. Since the suppression of earlier protests, public assemblies have been strictly regulated. In the days following the fire, volunteer supporters quickly organized relief efforts, with hundreds of people using vehicles and transit to bring in mountains of clothes, food and other essentials for the victims.

However, by evening, armed police were patrolling the area, and public authorities eventually took over from the community coordinators.

The petition over which the student was allegedly detained was initiated on Friday evening. Its “four demands” echoed the terminology of past campaigns but did not advocate political change.

The student informed media that he was only “proposing fundamental demands”.

“If these ideas are considered seditious or ‘transgressive’, then I feel I can’t predict the outcomes of anything any more, and I can only do what I sincerely think is right,” he stated.