Tai Po fire: Death toll climbs to 161 as forensic tests show remains belonged to 2 people, all missing now accounted for

The death toll for the deadly Tai Po fire has climbed to 161, after forensic testing confirmed that one set of remains actually consisted of DNA from two people.

Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, pictured on November 28, 2025, in the aftermath of the fatal blaze. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Police Commissioner Joe Chow gave the updated figure after a graduation ceremony for new police officers on Saturday.

“One of the bodies’ DNA sample had an additional person’s DNA in it. [The pair] were confirmed to be a couple,” Chow said in Cantonese.

He said police could not rule out further increases in the death toll as forensic testing continued.

Hong Kong will soon mark its one-month anniversary of the fatal fire at Wang Fuk Court, where a blaze engulfed seven out of eight buildings in the estate in late November.

Earlier this month, the death toll also rose by one after remains previously believed to belong to one person were revealed to be from two individuals: an elderly woman and her domestic worker.

Chow also said on Saturday that the remaining six missing people who police were tracking down had all been accounted for. Five were identified to be people killed in the fire, and one died in 2023.

A child leaves flowers for victims of the Tai Po fire on November 30, 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The estate was undergoing a large-scale renovation project at the time of the blaze, with bamboo scaffolding and nets covering surfaces of all the towers. Authorities believe that foam boards and construction netting that did not comply with fire safety standards contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze.

The police has so far arrested 15 people from construction companies over manslaughter and some over fraud.

Gov’t fund tops HK$4 billion

Earlier this month, Chief Executive John Lee said the city would set up an independent review committee to probe the blaze. The committee, however, will not be established under the Commission of Inquiry Ordinance, meaning it will lack the legal power to summon witnesses.

See also: Tai Po fire timeline: Wang Fuk Court’s HK$330 million renovation, ignored warnings and aftermath

The committee held its first meeting on Friday. According to a government statement, the committee will look into the causes of the fire and its spread, construction safety relating to building maintenance and renovation; as well as “systemic problems related to the tendering process of large-scale building maintenance and renovation works.”

The committee aims to complete its findings within nine months, after which a report will be made public, the statement added.

Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, pictured on November 29, 2025, in the aftermath of the fatal blaze. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The government said on Saturday that its public donation fund for victims of the fire had reached HK$4 billion, including the initial HK$300 million injected by the authorities.

The fund is going towards providing subsidies for residents and homeowners of Wang Fuk Court, as well as for domestic workers, construction workers and cleaners affected by the tragedy.

School campus

Meanwhile, the government announced on Saturday that Tai Po Baptist Public School – located inside Wang Fuk Court – will use the premises of an old campus in Fu Shin Estate.

Tai Po Baptist Public School has been shut since the fire broke out, with students relocated to makeshift classrooms at universities and other primary schools.

Their temporary campus at Fu Shin Estate is about a 10-minute bus ride from Wang Fuk Court.