(Beijing/Seoul=Yonhap News) Correspondent Jeong Seong-jo, Reporters Kang Jong-hoon, Kwon Su-hyeon, Kim Hyeon-jeong, and Kwon Sook-hee = At least 75 people died and 76 were injured in a fire at a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong on the 26th (local time).

With many missing and seriously injured, the death toll is expected to rise. Authorities have arrested three people responsible for building renovations and are conducting safety inspections of apartments undergoing large-scale renovations across Hong Kong.

◇ 75 dead, 76 injured… Hong Kong's worst fire disaster in 77 years

According to Reuters, AFP, AP, Hong Kong's Chengdu Daily, and South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 27th, a report of a fire broke out at Wong Fuk Court, a 32-story (lobby floor + 31st floor) residential high-rise apartment complex in Tai Po District, northern Hong Kong, at around 2:51 p.m. the previous day.

The apartment complex involved eight buildings, seven of which were on fire. While the flames were largely contained in four buildings after about 10 hours, the remaining three buildings were only extinguished on the evening of the same day, more than 24 hours later.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said in a press briefing around 6 p.m. that day, about 27 hours after the fire broke out,"The flames in the seven buildings where the fire broke out have all been brought under control."

The fire killed at least 135 people, making it the deadliest disaster since Hong Kong's handover from British rule to China in 1997 and the deadliest since a warehouse fire in 1948 that killed 176 people.

The Hong Kong Fire and Rescue Service announced that as of 10:40 p.m. that day, the death toll stood at 75. Among them were reportedly one firefighter and two Indonesian domestic helpers.

The death toll was initially reported at 44 this morning, but increased to 55 in the afternoon and 75 in the evening. Given the high number of missing people and the significant number of injured, many of them seriously injured, the death toll is expected to rise further.

The number of injured people was tentatively counted at 76, including 11 firefighters.

At around 11 a.m. that day, an elderly person was rescued from the 31st floor, the top floor of 'Ontai House', and in the afternoon, a man was rescued from the stairs on the 16th floor of 'Wangtao House', but many of the residents believed to be trapped inside have not yet been contacted.

Minister Lee announced early this morning that 279 residents were missing.

The fire department later said that 50 of the 341 rescue requests had not yet been responded to, but did not provide a specific number of missing people.

Hong Kong authorities deployed tour buses to evacuate residents. Currently, approximately 900 residents are staying in eight temporary shelters, including a nearby school.

The fire department raised the alert level to Level 5, the highest level, at 6:22 p.m. the previous day, mobilizing 304 fire trucks, 98 ambulances, and approximately 1,250 personnel to extinguish the fire and conduct search and rescue operations. This is the first Level 5 alert since the handover of Hong Kong to China since the 2008 Mong Kok nightclub fire, which killed four people and injured 55.

Surrounding highways were closed for firefighting, and five schools in Tai Po were closed. Campaigning for the upcoming Hong Kong Legislative Council election on March 7th has also been halted. Chief Executive Lee also announced that he would consider postponing the election.

◇ Bamboo scaffolding used for renovations on a 42-year-old building... Increased damage from flammable materials.

Wong Fook Court is an aging public housing complex that opened in 1983, with 2,000 households and approximately 4,800 residents. The Tai Po district, where the complex is located, is a suburban residential area bordering mainland China and home to approximately 300,000 people.

It will likely take time to determine the exact cause of the fire, but scaffolding installed during apartment renovations is believed to be the main cause of the disaster.

A large pillar of flames rose as the fire spread through bamboo scaffolding (temporary structures installed to allow high-rise work at construction sites) and construction safety nets installed on the exterior wall of an apartment building that had been undergoing large-scale renovations since July of last year.

Scaffolding is typically made of metal, but bamboo scaffolding is still used in Hong Kong. Authorities announced in March that they would phase out bamboo scaffolding, which is vulnerable to fire and accidents.

Authorities explained that the fire spread unusually quickly, burning safety nets, tarpaulins, and plastic sheets installed on the exterior walls.

Hong Kong police said they found flammable Styrofoam sheets attached to the exterior walls of the apartment that did not burn, and that Styrofoam was also found in ventilation ducts inside the building.

In relation to this, the police raided the apartment complex building management company this morning and arrested and are investigating three people in charge of the apartment maintenance work on charges of negligent homicide.

"We have reason to believe that company officials committed gross negligence, which led to this fire, which spread out of control and caused mass casualties," a police official said.

Minister Lee said in a Facebook post that day,"We have conducted a comprehensive inspection of apartment complexes undergoing large-scale renovations throughout Hong Kong to check their safety conditions."

Xi Jinping directs"damage minimization" efforts, with emergency relief funds and donations from local companies pouring in.

In the worst disaster since Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the families of the deceased firefighters and victims and ordered measures to minimize damage.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that Xi Jinping, through the head of the central government's Liaison Office in Hong Kong, instructed Li to"express condolences to the victims and fallen firefighters, offer condolences to their bereaved families and affected residents, and support the Hong Kong authorities in putting out the fire, conducting search and rescue operations, treating the injured, and handling the aftermath."

Nung Long, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council), arrived in Hong Kong from Beijing that afternoon to provide relief assistance, and together with Zhou Ji, director of the Liaison Office in Hong Kong, visited hospitals where the injured were being treated and temporary shelters for the displaced, the SCMP reported.

The Hong Kong government announced that it would provide emergency support of 10,000 Hong Kong dollars (about 1.88 million won) to each affected household.

Mainland Chinese companies also stepped up to donate to support the affected residents and aid recovery efforts.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma's foundation has donated HK$60 million (approximately 11.3 billion won) to support victims and firefighters, while sportswear company Anta Group has pledged to donate HK$30 million (5.6 billion won) worth of cash and equipment.

Some say the tragedy, which occurred ahead of Hong Kong's Legislative Council elections and the sentencing hearing for anti-Chinese journalist Jimmy Lai, is putting China's grip on Hong Kong to the test, Reuters reported.

China has been tightening its political and security control over Hong Kong, but the tragedy, which occurred amid growing discontent among Hong Kong residents over soaring property prices, could fuel anger toward the Chinese authorities, Reuters noted.

"I think China is focusing on two things: first, how the Hong Kong government handles this disaster, and second, how this will change the public's perception of the government," Sonny Lo, a Hong Kong politics expert, told Reuters.

inishmore@yna.co.kr