The Independent Committee investigating the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire has been granted more time to submit its report, which is now expected by October.
The extension was approved by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu after the panel cited the complexity of processing the vast amount of evidence.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Committee noted it had visited Wang Fuk Court and issued two rounds of public calls for information since its establishment last December.
Following more than 30 hearings from March to July, which involved testimony from 80 witnesses, expert reports and legal submissions, the committee said it is now processing over one million documents.
While it has already begun drafting the report, the panel said more time is needed to analyze the large volume of evidence to establish facts and make recommendations.
The committee reaffirmed its commitment to carry out its duties with the principles of fairness, openness and impartiality, and noted it will carefully review every item of information in preparing its report.
With a mission to review the cause of the fire and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents, the report was originally due for completion within nine months of the committee's operation.
