(MENAFN) Hong Kong has commenced a three-day period of mourning to honor the victims of one of the deadliest fires in the city’s recent history, which has claimed 128 lives, while approximately 200 individuals remain unaccounted for, according to reports.

Chief Executive John Lee, along with senior officials, Executive Council members, and civil servants, gathered at the government headquarters on Saturday morning to hold a three-minute moment of silence, as stated by reports.

During the mourning period, all national and regional flags at government buildings will be flown at half-mast.

Rescue efforts continued into the fourth day, though authorities have reported that the fires at Wang Fuk Court apartment complex are now under control. At present, 128 fatalities and 79 injuries have been confirmed, while the whereabouts of roughly 200 residents remain uncertain.

The fire erupted around noon on Wednesday in the large residential complex, which houses over 1,900 apartments, and spread rapidly, aided by bamboo scaffolding erected on the exterior for renovation work. The complex comprises eight towers with an estimated population exceeding 4,000.

Police have taken into custody two company directors and an engineering consultant from Prestige Construction & Engineering Company on suspicion of manslaughter. Officials noted that the bamboo scaffolding and foam-plastic window coverings played a major role in the rapid escalation of the blaze.

On Friday, roughly 800 residents displaced by the fire were relocated to hostels, hotels, and temporary flats.

In response to the severity of the incident, Hong Kong issued a Level-5 fire alarm—the city’s highest rating on its five-tier system—for the first time in 17 years.

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