HONG KONG, Nov 28, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Hong Kong's anti-corruption watchdog 
said it arrested eight people on Friday in connection with a housing estate 
fire that killed at least 128 people, the world's deadliest building blaze 
since 1980.

The group of seven men and one woman include "consultants, scaffolding 
subcontractors and middleman of the project", said the financial hub's 
Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

The commission had already opened an investigation into the fire at the 
residential complex, which was under renovation.

The blaze tore through seven of the eight high-rise blocks at the estate, 
which contains a total of almost 2,000 units, for more than 40 hours before 
it was brought under control.

The ICAC said those arrested were aged between 40 and 63 and included "four 
individuals from the consulting firm of the grand renovation project of Wang 
Fuk Court, namely two directors and two project managers responsible for 
supervising the project".

The others arrested included three scaffolding subcontractors and a 
middleman.

The ICAC, an independent statutory body, did not provide details of the 
alleged crimes.

ICAC investigators also seized work documents and bank records from 13 
premises.

Hong Kong police also announced on Thursday that they had arrested three men 
on suspicion of manslaughter as part of their investigations.