Death toll from Hong Kong fire rises to 160 as DNA tests confirm 1 more fatality
Police chief Joe Chow also reveals that a piece of bone has been found on the ground after scaffolding removed
Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming also said on Tuesday that the next stage of recovery work would involve removing bamboo scaffolding to search for bodies at the estate, which had been undergoing extensive renovations when disaster struck.
He also revealed that a piece of bone had been found on the ground after piles of bamboo were taken away, but it had yet to be determined if it was human or animal.
The death toll from the November 26 blaze increased from 159 to 160 after a body discovered earlier was found to be the remains of two people – an elderly resident and her domestic helper – with the help of DNA samples from both families, Chow said.
The identities of 120 dead had been confirmed, with the remaining 40 pending DNA verification, he said.
“As we are verifying other remains to determine if they are human or animal, we will see if we need to adjust the death toll,” Chow warned.