Hong Kong police arrested 13 for manslaughter over fire

HONG KONG

Hong Kong police said Monday they had arrested a total of 13 people for manslaughter over a deadly fire that ripped through an apartment complex last week, killing more than 150 people. 

Chan Tung, director of crime and security of the Hong Kong Police Force, said they "have immediately begun comprehensive investigation along the lines of manslaughter," leading to the arrests of "a total of 13 people, including 12 men and one woman."

Tung told a news conference those arrested were aged between 40 and 77.

Officials also announced that some of the exterior netting used on scaffolding at the housing estate did not meet fire-resistance standards.

"Samples collected from seven locations across high, middle and low floors in four buildings... did not meet the fire resistance test standards," the city's chief secretary Eric Chan told reporters.

The death toll from a blaze that tore through a Hong Kong residential estate last week has risen to 151, police said Monday.

"As of 4 pm today, the confirmed death toll stands at 151. We cannot rule out the possibility of this number rising further," police spokeswoman Tsang Shuk-yin told a news conference.