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Officials in the city have taken into custody thirteen individuals on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the recent devastating fire, amid growing public outcry over the detentions of civilians calling for responsibility.

Ongoing Rescue Operations as Fatalities Climbs

Rescue teams persisted in combing through the seven-building complex of the Wang Fuk Court residential area in the Tai Po district on Monday, following the city’s deadliest fire in seven and a half decades. The death toll reached 151 and is anticipated to climb further as the operation goes on. Approximately forty people are currently missing.

Renovations Connected with Cause of Blaze

The estate, housing nearly 5,000 people, had been undergoing major refurbishment that have been associated with the origin of the blaze. In the wake of the tragedy, anger has escalated over alleged past safety violations by the construction company working at the site and lax enforcement of standards, fuelled by disclosures that residents had been complaining about the renovations for a twelve months.

Those Detained Include Corporate Executives

On the afternoon of Monday, officials said the anti-graft agency had arrested 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 involuntary manslaughter”.

Substandard Materials Revealed

A top administrator stated that 7 of twenty tested samples of the scaffolding net used around the towers did not meet fire-retardant standards. Initial testing had found samples were compliant, but the official said the cheaper, noncompliant material had been put in areas hard to reach in order to avoid discovery, labeling it a “shameful act”.

“They just wanted to profit at the expense of people’s lives,” the official stated.

Civilians Detained Amid Calls for Answers

As accusations of safety violations mount, alongside reports that official bodies had issued multiple apparently unenforced warnings, residents have questioned why no officials have yet faced consequences. Instead, two civilians were allegedly arrested by national security police.

A person, identified as a Hong Kong student, was detained over an internet appeal that made “four demands” for guaranteed support for the victims and responsibility for those at fault, including any negligent or responsible public servants.

Local media said the individual was arrested for “inciting disaffection”. Law enforcement did not verify the detention, saying only that they “will take actions 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

Questioned about the detentions, the secretary of security said there had been “inaccurate comments online” that were intended to threaten national security. “Therefore, we must take appropriate measures, including law enforcement measures,” the secretary told a media briefing. “Specifics of the operation cannot be disclosed as they concern national security.”

Social Media Response and Parallels Drawn

On local online platforms, people criticised the arrests of civilians. “State security must be given precedence even if the dead are still trapped in the structure,” said one.

Several users drew comparisons to mainland China. “There, such acts are termed ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’,” said one commenter. “They are typically punished with heavy sentences. Social order overrides everything.”

A different user said: “Now that we are following the mainland’s approach, by targeting the person who raises the question, nobody will venture to question, and thus Hong Kong’s governance will have no issues.”

Heightened Sensitivity and Community Response

The arrests came after advisories by security officials that they would crack down on anyone deemed to be using the incident to incite “hostile” feelings.

Prior to the arrests, officials had already demonstrated heightened sensitivity to the community response. Following the suppression of earlier protests, civilian gatherings have been tightly controlled. In the immediate aftermath, volunteer supporters quickly organized aid operations, with hundreds of people employing cars and transit to deliver large quantities of clothes, supplies and other essentials for the survivors.

However, by nightfall, armed police were monitoring the area, and government officials eventually took over from the volunteer organisers.

The petition over which the individual was reportedly detained was launched late on Friday. Its “four points” mirrored the language of previous campaigns but did not advocate political change.

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

“Should these suggestions are considered seditious or ‘transgressive’, then I feel I can’t predict the consequences of anything any more, and I can only do what I sincerely think is right,” he stated.