Foreign domestic workers were among the dead and missing; advocates urge equal access to relief and counseling.
HONG KONG — The high-rise fire that swept through the Wang Fuk Court estate this week killed at least 128 people and displaced hundreds, including many foreign domestic workers who lived with employers inside the Tai Po complex, according to consular officials and aid groups on Friday.
The disaster has spotlighted the city’s reliance on roughly 368,000 domestic workers, mostly women from the Philippines and Indonesia who cook, clean and care for children and older adults. As investigators assess whether renovation materials and failed alarms worsened the blaze, migrant advocates say the workers’ losses stand out: some died on the job, others survived but lost passports, contracts and rooms tied to their employment. The government has launched a HK$300 million fund for residents while charities set up shelters, but caseworkers say many helpers need targeted legal and mental-health support as they try to replace documents and income.
Survivors described frantic hours escorting employers down smoke-filled stairwells or sheltering infants until firefighters reached their floors. At one tower, a helper said she wrapped a baby in wet cloth while calling emergency lines that crackled with traffic. Aid groups reported that several helpers remained unaccounted for as of Friday afternoon. Indonesia’s consulate confirmed deaths among its nationals; the Philippine side said more of its citizens were missing or injured. Outside a nearby mall, volunteers stacked diapers, rice and phone cards, saying many helpers fled with only the clothes they wore and need access to chargers and cash to contact families abroad.
Employment rules complicate the fallout. Many helpers live in their employers’ homes under two-year contracts and depend on those addresses for visas and banking. When a home is destroyed or cordoned off, a worker can lose not just lodging but proof of legal stay, advocates said. Charities have begun issuing letters to help replace IDs and passports, and consulates dispatched staff to join registration lines for relief grants. Case managers urged employers to file statements confirming continued employment so helpers can access temporary housing without jeopardizing visas. Union organizers said they would track cases in which jobs were terminated after the fire, noting the knock-on effects for remittances families rely on in rural provinces.
Residents had complained last year about flammable nets and blocked corridors as scaffolding went up around the buildings. Fire Services officials said some alarms did not function properly during Wednesday’s blaze. Police and the city’s anti-graft agency have arrested people linked to the renovation project on suspicion of offenses ranging from manslaughter to corruption. For helpers, the safety questions echo older debates: whether tower retrofits should require live-in workers to take part in drills; how to verify safe egress routes when rooms and utility spaces are temporarily sealed; and whether building managers have clear duty to communicate in multiple languages during works.
Inside temporary shelters, social workers set up quiet rooms for prayer and calls home, while counselors circulated with interpreters fluent in Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia. “Some women haven’t slept since Wednesday,” said a shelter coordinator. A Catholic parish opened its hall overnight to house families and helpers whose employers were hospitalized. Employers interviewed said they welcomed clearer guidance on rehousing and payroll while insurance claims are processed. “She saved our son,” one father said of the family’s helper, adding they had secured a hostel room and would keep paying her. Aid groups said phone trees and group chats have helped locate co-workers and share appointment slots at consulates and immigration counters.
The immediate timeline calls for forensic work inside damaged blocks through the weekend and an official briefing early next week. Consulates plan updated rolls of nationals by mid-week to reconcile hospital, shelter and morgue lists. As night fell Friday, helpers gathered near the estate’s fences to trade news and hold short prayers. The death toll remains at 128, with identifications ongoing and additional arrests possible as authorities trace suppliers and inspect materials used during renovations.
Author note: Last updated November 29, 2025.