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Officials in Hong Kong have taken into custody thirteen individuals on suspected charges of involuntary manslaughter related to the recent devastating fire, amid increasing criticism over the arrests of civilians demanding accountability.

Search Continues as Fatalities Rises

Rescue teams continued to search through the seven towers 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 rose to one hundred and fifty-one and is expected to rise further as the search continues. Approximately forty people are still unaccounted for.

Construction Work Connected with Fire’s Cause

The estate, housing almost 5,000 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 escalated over alleged previous safety breaches by the construction company working at the site and poor oversight of safety codes, fuelled by revelations that occupants had been complaining about the renovations for a twelve months.

Arrests Include Corporate Executives

On Monday afternoon, officials said the anti-graft agency had detained 13 people over the disaster so far, including the executives and an technical advisor of a construction company, and had “promptly initiated comprehensive investigation along the lines of manslaughter”.

Safety Failures Uncovered

A senior official stated that 7 of twenty tested specimens of the scaffolding net used around the buildings did not meet flame-resistance requirements. Preliminary checks had found materials were compliant, but the spokesperson said the cheaper, substandard material had been put in areas difficult to access in order to evade detection, describing it as a “deplorable deed”.

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

Civilians Detained Amid Calls for Accountability

As accusations of safety lapses mount, alongside reports that government authorities had issued multiple seemingly ignored cautions, residents have asked why no officials have yet been held accountable. Conversely, two members of the public were allegedly arrested by national security police.

One individual, identified as a Hong Kong student, was arrested over an online petition that made “four demands” for guaranteed support for the affected families and responsibility for those at fault, including any corrupt or culpable public servants.

Reports said the individual was arrested for “seditious intention”. Police did not verify the detention, saying only that they “will act according to the situation and in compliance with the law”.

Local media also covered the detention of a ex-local representative.

Government Statement on Detentions

Questioned about the detentions, the security chief said there had been “misleading statements on the internet” that were aimed to threaten national security. “As a result, we must take necessary steps, including law enforcement measures,” the official told a press conference. “Operational details cannot be disclosed as they involve state security.”

Social Media Response and Comparisons Drawn

On local online platforms, people criticised the detention of citizens. “State security must be prioritised even if the dead are still trapped in the structure,” said a comment.

Several users made parallels to the Chinese mainland. “The mainland, such acts are called ‘creating disturbances’,” said a user. “They are typically punished with heavy sentences. Social order overrides everything.”

Another said: “Now that we are following 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 issues.”

Increased Scrutiny and Community Response

The detentions followed advisories by national security authorities that they would take action against anyone considered to be exploiting the tragedy to incite “anti-China” sentiment.

Prior to the arrests, authorities had already begun showing increased vigilance to the community response. Since the quelling of earlier protests, civilian gatherings have been tightly controlled. In the days following the fire, community volunteers quickly organized relief efforts, with many individuals employing cars and transit to bring in large quantities of garments, supplies and other essentials for the survivors.

Nevertheless, by evening, officers were patrolling the vicinity, and public authorities eventually assumed control from the volunteer organisers.

The petition over which the student was reportedly detained was initiated on Friday evening. Its “four points” echoed the terminology of past protest movements but did not call for systemic reform.

The student told reporters that he was only “putting forward very basic demands”.

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