Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an separate inquiry panel to probe the origins of a tragic inferno that killed at least 151 individuals.
Last Wednesday, the majority of the residential blocks at the estate—that was in the midst of significant upgrades—went up in flames. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh surrounding the buildings did not comply with requirements for fire resistance.
A minimum of 13 suspects have been taken into custody over suspected manslaughter, including the executives of a contractor.
"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a big fire. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. Hence we must take decisive action to ensure that all these gaps are plucked," he said.
The blaze—that propagated rapidly both upwards and across the separate towers—was finally put out by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it began, and took in excess of 2,000 fire service personnel to contain.
The same day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the investigation could last three to four weeks.
A number of occupants have said they were not alerted by a emergency siren when the incident erupted. The city's fire department found that detection devices in each building were operating inadequately.
Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now renovation projects on 30 private projects.
Separately, officers took into custody a young man on charges related to subversion on Saturday. He was involved with a group demanding an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An internet-based appeal amassed more than 10,000 signatures in less than a day before its information was removed.
A pair of additional persons, including a former district councillor, were also detained by officers, according to local media reports.
The rights group and The monitoring body have both criticised the said apprehensions.
"The moment has come for the local government to transparently investigate the causes of the tragic incident...rather than silencing those who pose valid inquiries," Amnesty International said.
The residential complex was built in the early 1980s and had supplied 1,984 apartments for around 4,600 inhabitants, based on a recent official survey.
Nearly 40% of its occupants are estimated to be at least 65 years old. A number have resided in the subsidised housing estate from its inception.
Hong Kong's second-worst blaze on file killed 176 people in the mid-20th century and was the result of a detonation at street level at a commercial building. The worst was at a sporting venue in the early 1900s, when over 600 attendees lost their lives.
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