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Officials in the city have taken into custody 13 people on suspected charges of involuntary manslaughter related to last week’s catastrophic blaze, amid growing public outcry over the arrests of civilians demanding responsibility.

Search Continues as Death Toll Rises

Rescue teams continued to search through the seven-building complex of the Wang Fuk Court estate in the Tai Po district on Monday, days after the most fatal blaze in seven and a half decades. The death toll rose to one hundred and fifty-one and is anticipated to climb higher as the search continues. Approximately 40 people are currently missing.

Construction Work Connected with Cause of Blaze

The estate, home to nearly 5,000 people, had been undergoing major refurbishment that have been linked to the origin of the blaze. In the wake of the tragedy, public fury has grown over alleged previous safety breaches by the construction company working at the location and poor oversight of safety codes, spurred on by revelations that residents had been complaining about the work for a year.

Arrests Include Corporate Executives

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

Safety Failures Revealed

A senior official stated that 7 of twenty tested specimens of the mesh netting used around the towers did not meet fire-retardant standards. Preliminary checks had found samples were compliant, but the spokesperson said the less expensive, substandard netting had been put in areas difficult to access in order to evade detection, describing it as a “shameful act”.

“They just wanted to make money at the expense of people’s lives,” he said.

Civilians Detained Amid Demands for Answers

As accusations of safety lapses mount, alongside reports that official bodies had issued several seemingly unenforced warnings, residents have questioned why no government figures have yet been held accountable. Conversely, two civilians were allegedly taken into custody by national security police.

One individual, named as a Hong Kong student, was arrested over an online petition that made “four requests” for assured assistance for the affected families and accountability for those at fault, including any negligent or culpable government officials.

Reports said the individual was arrested for “seditious intention”. Police did not confirm the detention, saying only that they “will act according to actual circumstances and in compliance with the law”.

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

Official Response on Arrests

Asked about the arrests, the security chief said there had been “misleading statements online” that were intended to threaten national security. “Therefore, we must take necessary steps, including police action,” the official told a media briefing. “Specifics of the operation cannot be revealed as they concern national security.”

Social Media Response and Parallels Drawn

On Hong Kong social media, people condemned the arrests of civilians. “National security must be prioritised even if the dead are still trapped in the building,” said one.

Some commenters made parallels to the Chinese mainland. “The mainland, such acts are called ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’,” said a user. “It’s usually met with severe penalties. Stability trumps everything.”

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

Heightened Sensitivity and Community Response

The arrests came after warnings by national security authorities that they would take action against anyone considered to be using the incident to incite “anti-China” sentiment.

Prior to the arrests, officials had already demonstrated increased vigilance to the public reaction. Following the quelling of earlier unrest, civilian gatherings have been tightly controlled. In the days following the fire, community volunteers quickly organized relief efforts, with hundreds of people employing cars and transit to bring in mountains of clothes, food and other essentials for the victims.

Nevertheless, by nightfall, officers were patrolling the vicinity, and government officials eventually took over from the volunteer organisers.

The appeal over which the student was reportedly arrested was initiated late on Friday. Its “four demands” echoed the terminology of previous campaigns but did not call for systemic reform.

The student told media that he was only “proposing very basic demands”.

“If these ideas are considered seditious or ‘crossing the line’, then I feel I cannot foresee the consequences of anything any more, and I can only do what I truly believe is correct,” he said.