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Officials in the city have taken into custody thirteen people on suspected charges of manslaughter in connection with last week’s catastrophic blaze, amid growing public outcry over the arrests of citizens demanding accountability.

Ongoing Rescue Operations as Death Toll Climbs

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 most fatal blaze in seven and a half decades. The death toll reached one hundred and fifty-one and is expected to rise further as the operation goes on. About 40 people are still missing.

Renovations Connected with Cause of Blaze

The estate, home to nearly five thousand people, had been undergoing major refurbishment that have been linked to the origin of the blaze. In the aftermath, public fury has grown over reported past safety violations by the contractor working at the location and lax enforcement of safety codes, fuelled by disclosures that residents had been complaining about the renovations for a year.

Arrests Include Corporate Executives

On the afternoon of Monday, authorities said anti-corruption authorities had detained thirteen people over the disaster so far, including the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, and had “promptly initiated a thorough probe along the lines of involuntary manslaughter”.

Safety Failures Uncovered

A top administrator stated that seven of 20 tested samples of the scaffolding net used around the buildings did not meet flame-resistance requirements. Preliminary checks had found materials were up to code, but the official said the cheaper, noncompliant material had been installed in areas difficult to access in order to avoid discovery, labeling it a “shameful act”.

“They just wanted to make money at the expense of human lives,” the official stated.

Civilians Arrested Amid Demands for Answers

As accusations of safety lapses grow, alongside reports that government authorities had issued multiple seemingly unenforced warnings, residents have asked why no government figures have yet faced consequences. Instead, two civilians were allegedly arrested by security forces.

A person, identified as a local student, was detained over an internet appeal that made “four demands” for guaranteed support for the affected families and responsibility for those at fault, including any negligent or responsible government officials.

Reports said the individual was detained for “inciting disaffection”. Police did not verify the arrest, saying only that they “will take actions according to the situation and in compliance with the legal framework”.

Local media also reported the detention of a ex-local representative.

Official Response on Detentions

Questioned about the arrests, the secretary of security said there had been “inaccurate comments on the internet” that were aimed to undermine public security. “As a result, we must take appropriate measures, including law enforcement measures,” the official told a media briefing. “Operational details cannot be revealed as they involve national security.”

Public Reaction and Comparisons Drawn

On Hong Kong social media, people criticised the arrests of civilians. “National 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. “The mainland, such acts are called ‘creating disturbances’,” said one commenter. “It’s usually punished with heavy sentences. Social order overrides everything.”

Another said: “Now that we are following mainland China’s approach, by dealing with the person who raises the question, nobody will dare to ask, and therefore the city's administration will have no problems.”

Increased Scrutiny and Community Response

The arrests came after advisories by security officials that they would crack down on anyone considered to be using the tragedy to incite “anti-China” feelings.

Before the detentions, authorities had already begun showing heightened sensitivity to the public reaction. Since the suppression of earlier protests, civilian gatherings have been strictly regulated. In the immediate aftermath, community volunteers rapidly established aid operations, with many individuals employing vehicles and transit to deliver large quantities of clothes, supplies and other essentials for the survivors.

Nevertheless, by evening, armed police were monitoring the area, and public authorities soon took over from the community coordinators.

The appeal over which the individual was allegedly detained was launched on Friday evening. Its “four points” echoed the terminology of past campaigns but did not call for political change.

The student informed media that he was only “putting forward fundamental requests”.

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