Hong Kong Leader Apologizes for 168-Death Fire as Housing Secretary Resigns
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 29
Hong Kong Leader Apologizes for 168-Death Fire as Housing Secretary Resigns
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 29
Summary
John Lee bowed before reporters and apologized for the November fire that killed 168 people, while announcing Housing Secretary Winnie Ho’s resignation as the first senior-official departure tied to the disaster.
Lee said Ho bore political responsibility but no personal wrongdoing, and he resisted calls to accept blame himself during a tense news conference.
Construction-industry collusion and corruption caused shoddy repair work that set the stage for the blaze, Lee said, adding that bid-rigging suspects with triad links could face criminal punishment.
Seven buildings at Wang Fuk Court were under government-mandated repairs and wrapped in substandard netting and polystyrene foam, which authorities said helped the fire spread so fast that thousands of firefighters needed two days to extinguish it.