HONG KONG (REUTERS)

More than a thousand people turned out on Sunday to pay tribute to the victims of Hong Kong's deadliest fire in more than 75 years.

The cause of the blaze at a high-rise apartment complex in the city remains under investigation amid public concern over missed fire risk warnings and evidence of unsafe construction practices.

Police said on Sunday evening the confirmed death toll had risen to 146 after they completed a sweep of five of the burnt out towers. Some bodies had been found in stairwells and on rooftops where residents had tried to flee. More than 40 people are still considered to be missing in the fire, police said.

Mourners queued for more than a kilometre along the banks of a canal near the burnt-out Wang Fuk Court housing complex to lay white flowers for those who died. Some attached notes addressed to the victims.

The smell of smoke still hung in the air four full days after the fast-moving blaze fanned across the exterior of seven residential towers under renovation in Hong Kong's northern Tai Po district.

Joey Yeung, 28, whose grandmother's apartment burned in the fire, said she had come with her family with a sense of mourning for the victims.

"I can't accept it. So today I came with my father and my family to lay flowers," Yeung told Reuters. "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."

Seven Indonesian domestic workers and one Filipino helper have been confirmed among the dead and dozens of migrant workers remain missing. An outdoor prayer meeting in central Hong Kong for the city's Filipino community was attended by hundreds on Sunday morning.

The blaze that ripped through seven residential towers near the border with mainland China has stunned Hong Kong and authorities have launched criminal and corruption investigations. At least 11 people have already been arrested in connection with the blaze, as authorities investigate possible corruption and the use of unsafe materials during renovations at the complex.

Rescue operations concluded on Friday, though police say they may find more bodies as they comb through the hazardous, burnt-out buildings.

The fire started on Wednesday afternoon and rapidly engulfed seven of the eight 32-storey blocks at the complex, which were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh, and layered with foam insulation for the renovations.

Authorities have said the fire alarms at the complex, home to over 4,600 people, were not working properly.

The fire is Hong Kong's deadliest since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze.

Residents of Wang Fuk Court were told last year they faced "relatively low fire risks" after complaining about fire hazards posed by the renovation, the city's Labour Department said. The residents raised concerns in September 2024, including about the potential flammability of the protective green mesh contractors used to cover the bamboo scaffolding, a department spokesperson said.

A full search of all of the badly damaged buildings could take three to four weeks to complete, police have said.