Overview
- Authorities updated the death count to 151 and warned the number could rise as searches move into the most damaged towers over the coming weeks in the city’s deadliest blaze since 1948.
- Officials said tests found some scaffolding netting failed fire‑resistance standards and that foam insulation helped spread the flames, while parts of the complex’s alarm system were not working.
- Police announced 13 arrests on suspicion of manslaughter, and the ICAC’s parallel corruption inquiry has led to additional detentions and safety audits, with 28 projects tied to the contractor suspended.
- Victim identification remains challenging, with bodies recovered from apartments, stairwells and rooftops and some remains reduced to ash, and authorities say more than 40 people are still missing.
- The blaze burned across seven of eight high‑rises over two days, and as public mourning continues, Beijing warned against attempts to use the disaster for unrest and a petition organiser was detained, local media reported.