Hong Kong authorities charge two companies and seven people with manslaughter over deadly Wang Fuk Court fire

On June 10, 2026, Hong Kong police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) charged seven individuals and two companies — consultancy firm Will Power Architects and main contractor Prestige Construction and Engineering — with 25 counts arising from the Wang Fuk Court fire of November 26, 2025, which killed 168 people including residents and a firefighter. The charges include manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, attempting to pervert the course of justice, and tax evasion. Three individuals — Will Power directors Ng Yeuk and Wong Hap-yin, and Prestige director Ho Kin-yip — were denied bail and face manslaughter charges alongside their companies. Investigators allege the renovation project, worth over HK$336 million, was marred by serious negligence: fire alarms in seven of eight residential blocks were deactivated, non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting was used, and windows were boarded with flammable foam boards, all of which accelerated the fire's spread and hampered evacuation. Authorities further allege fraud in the tendering process, including concealment of Prestige's prior litigation records and falsified inspection reports covering 86 separate building maintenance projects. The ICAC said it would not rule out further arrests, noting that 35 people had been detained in total during the investigation. The case has been adjourned to September 2, 2026, and an independent inquiry into the fire's causes remains ongoing.