168人の死者と約5000人の被災者を出した香港の宏福苑火災に関する最新の調査審問において、都市再開発局（URA）の担当者は、限られたリソースや住民の意思決定への不干渉方針を理由に、住宅改修における相場操作や談合を防止する仕組みが同局の入札制度には備わっていないことを認めた。
11月に発生した火災は、改修工事中だった大埔の団地全8棟のうち7棟を焼き尽くし、複数の火災リスクを露呈させた。URAが委託した第三者機関による評価では、外壁改修工事の費用は約1億200万香港ドル（約1300万米ドル）と見積もられていた。審問で当局は、現行のシステムには企業による入札操作を阻止するメカニズムが欠如しており、たとえ疑わしい行為が検出されたとしても、業者の選定は住民の決定に従うため、同局は介入しない方針であることを明らかにした。
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Residents of Hong Kong's Wang Fuk Court have returned to the fire-ravaged ruins in recent days, climbing stairs to retrieve jewellery, cash, photo albums and keepsakes before bidding farewell to their homes. The fire services chief acknowledged at a hearing that departments need better communication while insisting on clear divisions of responsibility. The blaze killed 168 people.
On the second day of evidential hearings into Hong Kong's deadliest fire at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po, senior counsel Victor Dawes revealed how residents were misled into selecting a convicted contractor amid widespread bid-rigging and corruption in construction tenders.
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Hong Kong's independent committee inquiring into the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire—the city's worst since 1948—heard that government surveyors followed outdated guidelines during renovations, forgoing in-person checks and overlooking risks like illegal alterations to emergency passages in the HK$336 million project.
A public inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has exposed confusion among government agencies over roles in supervising large renovation projects. A fire services officer testified on Wednesday that his department was not responsible for handling complaints about flammable building materials due to a lack of construction expertise.
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Residents of Hong Kong's Wang Fuk Court returned on Saturday to their fire-ravaged flats to retrieve belongings one last time, amid tearful scenes. Ian Chu cherished the chance to capture a final photo of Tolo Harbour from his flat. The blaze killed 168 people, including 81 in Wang Cheong House.