Final death toll from Hong Kong fire placed at 168

Hong Kong police have confirmed that 168 people died in the massive blaze that ripped through an apartment complex in Hong Kong last November - seven more than previously announced.

The ages of the victims ranged from six months to 98 years old, police said in a statement on Thursday. Of the victims, fifty-eight of them were male and 110 were female. Many of them were elderly residents who had lived in the apartment complex for decades.

The fire at Wang Fuk Court was the deadliest that the city had seen in decades.

More than 30 people have been arrested in connection to the fire, on suspicions of manslaughter, fraud or corruption, city leader John Lee said on Wednesday.

Announcing that officials had completed all identification work, security secretary Chris Tang said the final death toll stood at 168.

Among the deceased are 10 domestic workers - nine Indonesians and one Filipina - five construction workers and two interior decorators.

Built in the 1980s, Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong's north-eastern Tai Po district housed about 4,600 people, according to the 2021 census. Nearly 40% of the residents were 65 or older.

Thousands of firefighters were deployed to bring the fire under control. One of them, 37-year-old Ho Wai-ho, died during the firefighting operation.

Four of the deceased pronounced dead after being taken to hospital, while 164 people were recovered at the scene.

Investigations are still ongoing into the cause of the blaze.

Officials previously said substandard mesh placed outside the apartment blocks' windows might have caused the fire to spread, which raged for more than a day.