Psychologists deployed for bereaved Wang Fuk Court households as new round of access begins

Residents of fire-affected blocks at Wang Fuk Court began the third round of returning to their flats on Tuesday, with access extended to some of the hardest-hit buildings, including Wang Tai House, one of the blocks most severely damaged in last year’s fire.

For the latest phase, five floors of Wang Tai House and 10 floors of Wang Kin House have been opened to residents to retrieve belongings.

Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing and Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen visited the site in the morning to inspect arrangements.

Cheuk said the operation has entered its 10th day, with residents of Wang Tai House and Wang Kin House scheduled to return in batches through May 1. He noted that Wang Tai House, like Wang Cheong House, sustained severe fire damage, and residents would require additional support.

Residents are escorted by police when entering and leaving the buildings. For units involving fatalities, each household will be accompanied by a social worker and a clinical psychologist from the Social Welfare Department, with additional staff deployed if needed.

Over the past nine days, 951 households from four buildings — including Wang Cheong House and Wang Yan House — involving 3,464 residents, have completed retrieval arrangements. Among them, 401 households returned more than once. Authorities said operations have remained orderly and largely smooth.

The inquiry counter has handled 75 requests for police assistance, along with 15 cases of physical discomfort during access and seven cases requiring psychological counseling.

Cheuk said the current arrangements for residents of the seven affected buildings will run until May 4, while residents of the unaffected Wang Chi House will be allowed to return between May 13 and 17. He added that the government will announce arrangements for further access “as soon as possible” after May 4.

Authorities also acknowledged several cases in which residents returning to their flats found large amounts of items that did not belong to them. Cheuk said assistance would be provided to clear the debris and affected households would be allowed to return again if necessary.

Among those returning on Tuesday was a long-time resident of Wang Kin House, Lam, who has lived there for more than 40 years. He said the damage to his unit was not severe and he hoped to retrieve belongings quickly and bring the matter to a close.

 

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓