Substandard work and evasion of oversight helped fuel deadly Hong Kong fire, investigators told

HONG KONG (AP) — An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades heard arguments on how improper practices that evaded regulatory oversight turned a small fire into a tragedy as the case neared its conclusion Friday.

The November blaze spread through seven buildings of an apartment complex, killing 168 people and displacing thousands of residents at Wang Fuk Court in the suburban Tai Po district. Many of the residents now live in temporary housing.

Committee lead lawyer Victor Dawes said the use of non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting was very likely a key reason for the fire's rapid spread at the complex, which was undergoing a major renovation project when the blaze started. Having wooden planks boarding up staircase windows caused plumes of smoke in residents’ escape routes, he said.

He said Will Power Architects Company, a consultancy, and Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., the main contractor on the project, cut corners in the work and the materials, in addition to deceiving regulators and homeowners, he said. Various substandard and improper practices were involved, including faked compliance of inspections. Certain professionals responsible for inspections signed documents like a “rubber stamp," he said.

Dawes also criticized the government’s reliance on an honor system in overseeing the project, saying relevant departments should bear responsibility.

“When faced with dishonest bad actors, the entire system collapsed,” he said.

Several residents wept during the hearing that was concluded Friday.

On Thursday, Lawyer Jenkin Suen, representing the government, acknowledged some systemic vulnerabilities but said it would be unfair to say government departments were the instigators of the fire. Some professionals and contractors abused a mechanism that aimed to protect the public and betrayed the trust placed in them, he said.

Jeffrey Tam, a lawyer for nine residents of the Wang Fuk Court, noted some residents decided to give evidence despite being distressed by the tragedy.

“But we heard some witnesses appear that they just wanted to to be shirking responsibility," he said. “So sometimes I also understand why they could not hold back their anger."

He added deflecting responsibility like this would not help the city find out the truth.

The investigating committee led by High Court judge David Lok is expected to give recommendations after reviewing the fire’s cause, potential systemic problems and whether existing regulations and penalties are sufficient. When the committee's findings will be released is not known.

But its scope of work does not include possible legal liabilities, which will be handled by law enforcement authorities.

Last month, Hong Kong authorities charged seven people and two companies in June with offenses including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud over the fire. The companies include Will Power and Prestige Construction & Engineering Co.

Tony Tsui Moon-come, former chairperson of the management committee of the Incorporated Owners of Tai Po Wang Fuk Court, arrives for the closing submissions at the Independent Commission investigation hearing into last year's Tai Po deadly fire, in Hong Kong, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

Members of Independant Commission team arrives for the closing submissions at the Independent Commission investigation hearing into last year's Tai Po deadly fire, in Hong Kong, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

Member of the public arrives for the closing submissions at the Independent Commission investigation hearing into last year's Tai Po deadly fire, in Hong Kong, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

David Lok, chairman of the Independent Committee, arrives for the closing submissions at the Independent Commission investigation hearing into last year's Tai Po deadly fire, in Hong Kong, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

Jenkin Suen, counsel for the Hong Kong government, arrives for the closing submissions at the Independent Commission investigation hearing into last year's Tai Po deadly fire, in Hong Kong, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)

BANGKOK (AP) — Australia’s government and the families of two Australian teenagers who died of methanol poisoning in Laos have lambasted as inadequate the charges they said were due to be laid by Lao authorities on Friday against those allegedly responsible.

Australian tourists Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, were among six foreigners killed by tainted alcohol at a tourist hostel in Vang Vieng in November 2024. The others killed were an American man, a British woman and two Danish women.

Jones’ parents told reporters in Melbourne that authorities in Laos would later Friday announce charges against the alleged suppliers of the methanol-laced drinks.

Mark Jones, Bianca’s father, said that according to information received by the families, the penalties the accused are expected to face if convicted are up to a year in jail and a fine of about 1,600 Australian dollars ($1,117). Australian authorities have been keeping the affected families apprised of the case since the incident.

He described such a resolution as “unacceptable.”

“It’s like their lives didn’t even matter," said Bianca’s mother, Michelle. "We’re just really appalled by it all. You know, they were just going over to have a bit of fun and just doing the rite of passage that every, you know, child or teenager does. So for that outcome, it was just devastating.”

Methanol poisoning is a problem all over the world, not only for tourists but more so for local residents. In the latter case, it is found especially in countries where alcoholic drinks are hard to afford or illicit. Statistics of suspected cases compiled by the medical assistance group Doctors Without Borders show that Indonesia, India and Russia are countries with the most reported incidents.

Methanol is sometimes added to mixed drinks at disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but can cause severe poisoning or death. It is also a byproduct of poorly distilled home-brew liquor, and could have found its way into bar drinks inadvertently.

The two Australian women had been staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, where they reportedly consumed “free shots” of Laotian vodka before heading out to other venues.

When they failed to check out as planned, they were found sick in their room and eventually evacuated to hospitals in neighboring Thailand, where they later died.

Speaking at a news conference along with the Jones family, Shaun Bowles, the father of Holly Morton-Bowles, described Friday's anticipated legal development as “mind-boggling because (Laos) is a popular tourist destination for a lot of travelers, a lot of Australian, young Australian travelers and young people from around the world.”

He said he expected potential visitors to Laos to reconsider going “because they’ve demonstrated, the way that they act, and as I say, the value that they put on tourists’ lives over there and the way they’ve tried to cover this up.”

Landlocked Laos is one of Southeast Asia’s poorest nations and a popular tourist destination. Vang Vieng is particularly popular among backpackers seeking partying and adventure sports.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was “deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointed″ that authorities weren’t pursuing “the most serious charges” in relations to the women’s deaths, she said in a statement Friday. Wong’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for details of the expected counts and her statement didn’t specify how many people were due to be charged.

Wong and Australia’s Prime Minister had dispatched an envoy to Laos on Friday “to convey the Australian Government’s objections and reinforce our expectations for an investigation that delivers justice for Holly, Bianca and the other victims of the methanol poisoning,” the minister said. Australian officials had also summoned Laos’ ambassador to Canberra, she added.

The Laos Embassy in Canberra didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

——

Graham-McLay reported from Auckland, New Zealand.

Exterior of the Ministry of Public Security is seen in Vientiane, Laos, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo)

Exterior of the Ministry of Public Security in Vientiane, Laos, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo)

FILE -Foreign tourists walk past the closed Nana Backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath, File)

In this image made from video, Samantha Morton, left, and Shaun Bowles, the parents of Holly Morton-Bowles, speak during news conference in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, July 17, 2026. (Channel 9 via AP)

In this image made from video Michelle Jones, right, holds a photo of her daughter, Bianca, as Michelle and her husband Mark Jones appear on a news program in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, July 17, 2026. (Australian Broadcasting Corp via AP)