【Epoch Times Dec 8, 2025】(Reported by Yingyu Zhang from Hong Kong)
A fire in the Grand Fortune Gardens in Tai Po, Hong Kong, has left approximately 30 people still missing, with some bodies yet to be identified. The police are currently contacting the missing individuals and reaching out to the families of the deceased whose bodies have been preliminarily identified through photographs. On the morning of December 8, family members have been going to the Tai Po Kwong Fuk Community Hall for sampling, some bringing flowers with them.
Some survivors have shared their experiences, mentioning that accessing aid sometimes requires them to “visit 4 districts in one day.” Concerning the government’s “one household, one social worker” program, some survivors have revealed that they have not been able to get in touch with their designated social worker.
Miss Chen’s parents have lived in a lower unit of the Hong Cheung House for over forty years and are still missing. She told reporters on Monday (8th) that a small, human-like remnant was found in the unit. Authorities mentioned that the DNA of the remains needs to be matched with the relevant ashes and warned her that the remains could be washed away by water. She said, “They talked about many possibilities, and at this point, we can only accept them.”
She mentioned that the sampling this morning took half an hour, and she was informed that the results would be available in a few weeks. She expressed her pain and still hopes that the authorities’ testing will “give them back their identities.”
The Hong Kong government launched the “one household, one social worker” program to provide support to affected residents. Secretary for Labor and Welfare, Yuhon Sun, mentioned in a TV program aired on the 7th that the Social Welfare Department currently has about 2,000 social workers, with nearly each social worker currently handling a case of a Gran Fortune Gardens resident.
Miss Chen described her situation as unique. After the memorial service on the 7th day following the disaster (2nd), the police arranged for a social worker when they realized her parents were still missing. However, even with the social worker, they still had to handle all the follow-up paperwork themselves. She said, “Some things we can’t apply, and because we (the parents) don’t have death certificates, they have to confirm it before issuing one, so it’s all like this… sigh, mixed feelings.”
Quoting information from a group, she mentioned that some individuals have not been contacted in the government’s “one household, one social worker” plan. She said, “(The authorities say) there’s someone available to answer 24 hours? Some people still haven’t been contacted even now, and some received calls but no social workers showed up.”
Miss Chen and her sister also lived in Grand Fortune Gardens and mentioned that there are still many procedures to complete. Currently, they have to handle many things themselves every day, even if they try to have relatives or friends assist them, only the closest family member with a victim’s card can help, requiring themselves and their sister to deal with matters like queuing with their victim cards.
She expressed dissatisfaction with the assistance arrangements, saying, “You have to ‘grab’ it yourself.” She mentioned that a day or two after the disaster, queuing was chaotic, with people waiting for hours and abrupt changes causing confusion. She explained how the procedures lacked consistency and were inconvenient for the survivors.
She believed that the authorities should establish a centralized location for assistance applications to avoid frequent changes in locations. Miss Chen highlighted the toll the aftermath has taken on their daily lives, saying, “We practically come out every day after the disaster, making going to work impossible, greatly affecting our lives.” She acknowledged the understanding of her company but stressed the importance of resolving the situation quickly, emphasizing the need for a return to normalcy with school and work commitments.