Hong Kong leader apologises and housing minister resigns after fire investigation exposes failures

Hong Kong leader John Lee apologised Thursday and said his housing secretary resigned after an investigation into the city’s deadliest fire in decades found inadequate regulatory oversight. The massive fire that broke out last November engulfed seven buildings in an apartment complex in a northern suburban district, killing 168 people and displacing thousands of others. Many former residents of Wang Fuk Court have spent nearly a year waiting to see how the government will address accountability for the disaster that claimed their loved ones and their homes, which were then undergoing building maintenance work. At the opening of the news conference, Lee and seven other top officials bowed in apology. Lee said Housing Secretary Winnie Ho “should bear political responsibility," although no personal wrongdoing was found. He said Ho had resigned Wednesday. Hong Kong fire sparks anger and demands for answers To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: © France 24 01:38 An ...