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Authorities in Hong Kong have taken into custody 13 people on suspected charges of manslaughter in connection with the recent catastrophic blaze, amid growing public outcry over the arrests of citizens calling for accountability.

Search Continues as Fatalities Rises

Emergency services continued to search through the seven-building complex of the Wang Fuk Court estate in the Tai Po district on Monday, days after the city’s deadliest fire in seven and a half decades. The death toll rose to 151 and is anticipated to climb further as the operation goes on. Approximately forty people are still unaccounted for.

Construction Work Connected with Fire’s Cause

The housing complex, home to almost five thousand people, had been undergoing major refurbishment that have been associated with 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 site and poor oversight of standards, spurred on by disclosures that occupants had been voicing concerns over the renovations for a year.

Arrests Include Company Directors

On Monday afternoon, officials said the anti-graft agency had arrested 13 people over the disaster so far, including the directors and an engineering consultant of a contracting firm, and had “immediately begun comprehensive investigation along the lines of involuntary manslaughter”.

Safety Failures Revealed

A top administrator stated that seven of twenty tested specimens of the scaffolding net used around the buildings did not meet flame-resistance requirements. Initial testing had found materials were compliant, but the spokesperson said the less expensive, noncompliant material had been put in areas hard to reach in order to evade detection, labeling it a “shameful act”.

“Their sole aim was to make money at the expense of human lives,” he said.

Civilians Detained Amid Calls for Answers

As allegations of safety violations grow, alongside reports that government authorities had issued multiple apparently ignored cautions, residents have questioned why no government figures have yet been held accountable. Instead, two members of the public were reportedly taken into custody by national security police.

One individual, named as a local student, was detained over an online petition that made “four requests” for assured assistance for the victims and accountability for those at to blame, including any negligent or culpable public servants.

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

News outlets also covered the detention of a ex-local representative.

Official Response on Detentions

Asked about the arrests, the security chief said there had been “inaccurate comments online” that were intended to undermine national security. “As a result, we must take necessary steps, including police action,” the official told a press conference. “Specifics of the operation cannot be revealed as they involve national security.”

Public Reaction and Parallels Drawn

On Hong Kong social media, people condemned the arrests of civilians. “State security must be given precedence even if the dead are still trapped in the structure,” said a comment.

Several users drew comparisons to mainland China. “The mainland, such acts are called ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’,” said a user. “They are typically punished with severe penalties. Social order trumps everything.”

Another said: “Now that we are aligning with the mainland’s approach, by targeting the individual who raises the question, nobody will dare to ask, and thus Hong Kong’s governance will have no problems.”

Increased Scrutiny and Volunteer Efforts

The detentions came after advisories by national security authorities that they would take action against anyone deemed to be using the tragedy to stir up “hostile” feelings.

Prior to the arrests, officials had already begun showing increased vigilance to the public reaction. Following the suppression 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 large quantities of garments, supplies and other necessities 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 allegedly arrested was initiated late on Friday. Its “four demands” echoed the terminology of past protest movements but did not advocate political change.

The student told media that he was only “proposing fundamental requests”.

“If these ideas are considered seditious or ‘crossing the line’, then I believe I can’t predict the outcomes of any action any more, and I can only do what I sincerely think is right,” he said.