The death toll in Hong Kong’s Tai Po blaze reached 159 on Wednesday, with 140 victims identified, including 49 men and 91 women, ranging from 1 to 97 years of age, as the Hong Kong Police Force completed search operations at all seven fire-ravaged towers.

The number of deceased include one firefighter who died in the line of duty, 10 foreign domestic helpers, and five on-site workers. Forty-two injured people have been discharged from hospitals, while 37 remain hospitalized – four in critical condition, nine serious, and 24 stable. Thirty-one are still missing.

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Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said that search operations will be conducted under the collapsed scaffolding to check for possible victims at a later stage. The remains discovered in some units at the scene will be sent to forensic examiners and government laboratories for further testing to determine whether they are human or animal, while DNA analysis will be used for identification.

Preliminary investigations into the fatal fire suggest that substandard protective mesh netting around the buildings may be among the reasons for the blaze’s rapid spread. The special administrative region government has ordered the netting around all buildings across the city undergoing major renovations to be removed immediately.

Also on Tuesday, police arrested six more individuals aged 44 to 55 on suspicion of making false representations to the Fire Services Department by claiming that fire alarms in the fire-hit buildings would be activated during maintenance.

The number of arrests related to maintenance works made by both the police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption has reached 21.

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Four people were also arrested as of Wednesday evening for alleged sedition in relation to the fire.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR condemned “a small group of external hostile forces” for “taking advantage of the disaster to create chaos”.

The spokesperson warned “external hostile forces and anti-China elements” that such actions will not be tolerated, and will lead to bitter consequences.

“Justice shall be done regardless of the distance involved,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, residents of the sole unaffected tower at Wang Fuk Court, Wang Chi House, were allowed to return to their flats to retrieve personal belongings on Wednesday and Thursday.

Urgently needed supplies from the Chinese mainland, including protective goggles and waterproof gloves, were delivered to Hong Kong on Wednesday to support fire relief efforts.

The supplies were provided by the Ministry of Emergency Management, under the coordination of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Local relief efforts are continuing, with registration completed for 1,930 households to receive a HK$10,000 ($1,285) emergency cash grant; disbursements have been made to 1,921 households. As of Tuesday, 104 households had received a HK$50,000 living allowance.

Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Clarence Leung Wang-ching said in a radio interview that over 2,600 residents are staying in temporary to long-term free accommodation. The government-established support fund has accumulated HK$2.3 billion.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com