A grief-stricken Hong Kong continues official mourning as the death toll from the Wednesday, November 26 catastrophic apartment fire reached 151 people on Monday, December 1, with 104 still unaccounted for in what has become the city’s deadliest blaze in more than seven decades.

The tragedy at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po claimed lives from across Hong Kong society, including seven Indonesian migrant workers and one Filipina domestic helper, a 37-year-old firefighter who died trying to save residents, and scores of elderly people who called the eight-tower complex home.

Manila’s consulate identified the Filipino victim as Maryan Pascual Esteban, who leaves behind a 10-year-old son and her family in Cainta, Rizal. Like so many migrant workers in Hong Kong, she had made the difficult choice to work far from home to provide for her loved ones.

The human toll extends far beyond the death count. More than 4,000 people lived in the public housing estate, with many residents aged 65 and over. Hundreds now find themselves homeless, staying in emergency shelters or city hotels as they process the magnitude of their loss.

Joey Yeung, 28, whose grandmother’s apartment burned in the fire, came with her family to lay flowers at the site. “I can’t accept it,” she told reporters. “I’m not asking to get anything back, but at least give some justice to the families of the deceased – to those who are still alive.”

Over the weekend, sobs could be heard across Victoria Park as hundreds of migrant workers mourned victims and prayed for missing friends. Prayer vigils were held across the city as communities came together in shared grief.

Sudarsih, an Indonesian woman who has worked in Hong Kong for 15 years, said two of her friends were still missing. “God bless, they will be found quickly and are safe,” she said. Another Indonesian worker, Dwi Sayekti, 38, expressed hope through tears that this would be the first and last such disaster.

Jeffery Chan, a civil servant who came to pay his respects, captured the city’s collective anguish: “As a Hong Konger, seeing people in the place where we live lose their families, lose everything in just one night – if you put yourself in their shoes, it is unbearable.”

The fire began shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday at Wang Cheong House, a 32-story building undergoing renovations. Within hours, flames had spread to six adjacent towers in the complex. Many residents remained trapped inside their apartments, with extreme heat preventing firefighters from reaching them, even though they knew where people were located.

The buildings were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and safety netting for renovations, with windows covered by polystyrene panels, which were flammable and helped spread the fire. Authorities found that some fire alarms in the complex did not sound when tested, a discovery that has raised urgent questions about how such safety failures could occur.

Fire Services Department Director Andy Yeung paid tribute to the fallen firefighter. The 37-year-old had served for nine years before collapsing at the scene and later dying at the hospital.

Beyond immediate victims, the disaster has devastated Hong Kong’s migrant worker community. More than 50 survivors have sought help from the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body, according to spokeswoman Shiela Tebia, who said that the women urgently needed clothing and that their ID cards and passports had been burned.

Tebia said that they were still processing what had happened and that some were unable to sleep well and were also traumatized. However, Tebia added, despite their condition, they still felt the need to support their employer, who was also grieving.

The government has pledged HK$200,000 (approximately $25,700) to families of each deceased victim, but advocates say more support is needed for survivors who lost everything. Edwina Antonio, executive director at Bethune House migrant women’s refuge, urged officials to include migrant workers in financial assistance programs because they are “often the only breadwinners of their families”.

Hong Kong observed a three-minute moment of silence Saturday morning, with flags flying at half-mast across the city. Residents lined up at condolence books in all 18 districts to leave messages for the victims. A steady stream of mourners placed bouquets at the growing memorial near the charred towers.

The Hong Kong police Disaster Victim Identification Unit continues its meticulous work through the buildings, finding bodies both in apartment units and on roofs. The search has been slow in the darkness, especially in areas away from windows.

Eleven people have been arrested in connection with the fire, including construction company directors and renovation project managers, as investigators examine whether safety violations contributed to the tragedy’s scope.

For now, a devastated city mourns together, united in grief and in the hope that such a disaster will never happen again.