Key facts
- Seven individuals and two companies have been charged in Hong Kong.
- The charges are related to a deadly residential fire that killed 168 people.
- Charges include manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, and other offenses.
- The charges were announced following a six-month investigation by a joint task force.
Authorities in Hong Kong have charged seven people and two companies with manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, and other offenses in connection with a devastating residential high-rise fire that killed 168 people last year. The charges were announced on Wednesday by a joint task force of the Hong Kong Police Force and the Independent Commission Against Corruption, following a six-month probe into the fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in the Tai Po district. The charges include manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud. Manslaughter charges were filed against directors of the contractor and consultant firms involved, as well as an inspector.