Hong Kong officials have held a moment of silence at the start of a three-day mourning period to remember those killed after the city’s deadliest fire in nearly 80 years.
At least 128 people are now known to have died in the fire, which engulfed seven tower blocks on Wednesday. A further 83 were injured and 150 remain unaccounted for.
Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of corruption over the renovation works the blocks had been undergoing. Three others were detained earlier on manslaughter charges.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but officials have said it spread up and between the blocks rapidly because of flammable materials placed on their exterior.
Saturday morning’s ceremony was held outside government headquarters, and saw city leader John Lee joined by other Hong Kong officials to observe three minutes of silence.
The flags of China and Hong Kong were flown at half mast.
The government has also set up memorial points across the city, where the public can pay their respects and sign condolence books.
Once the fire started, it spread quickly to seven of the eight towers in Wang Fuk Court, in Hong Kong’s northerly suburban Tai Po distric.
It then took more than 2,000 firefighters almost two days to bring the blaze under control.
The cause of the fire remains unclear, though authorities have said that polystyrene placed on the outside of the windows and plastic netting around the scaffolding on the buildings facilitated its spread.
The tower blocks were also covered in bamboo scaffolding, which is commonly used for construction and renovation work in Hong Kong. The fire has sparked a debate on whether it should still be used.
