The death toll in Hong Kong's deadly housing complex fire rose on Sunday (November 30) to at least 146, drawing large crowds to turn up and pay tribute to the victims, amid warnings from Beijing that it would use a national security law to crack down on any "anti-China" protest in the wake of the blaze.

Tai Po District

The confirmed death toll from the recent high-rise fire in Hong Kong's Tai Po District has risen to over 145, with many residents still missing. Large crowds gathered to mourn the victims at the Wengfu Courthousing complex, while officials investigate the cause of the blaze, citing non-functioning fire alarms and evidence of unsafe construction practices.

Public anger has grown amid allegations of missed fire risk warnings and possible corruption related to recent renovations. Beijing has warned against using the tragedy to fuel anti-China protests, referencing the national security law, as authorities have detained a 24-year-old man linked to a petition for an independent probe and arrested more than a dozen people in connection with the fire.

Hong Kong fire toll rises as Beijing warns against protests

Large crowds of people turned out on Sunday to mourn the victims of Hong Kong's deadly high-rise fire, as Beijing warned it would use a national security law to crack down on any anti-China protests. Police said the confirmed death toll had risen to over 145 after they combed through five of the seven burned-out towers, with many still missing. The officer in charge of victim identification told reporters some bodies had been found in stairwells and on rooftops, where residents had tried to flee. Mourners waited in long queues to pay tribute to the dead at the Wengfu Courthousing complex. The cause of Hong Kong's worst blaze in decades remains under investigation, but public anger is growing over missed fire risk warnings and evidence of unsafe construction practices. Officials have also said the fire alarms at the complex, home to over 4,600 people, were not working properly. Authorities are anxious to avoid any broader public backlash after massive pro-democracy protests roiled the city in 2019, leading to a Beijing-imposed national security law. On Saturday, China's national security authorities warned people against using the disaster to "...plunge Hong Kong back into the chaos of 2019." It came as Hong Kong police detained a 24-year-old man, who was part of a group that launched a petition demanding an independent probe into possible corruption and a review on construction oversight, sources said. The group's online petition had over 10,000 signatures by Saturday afternoon. Before it was closed, police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Daniel Chan, who lives in Taipo District, said people now know this was a man-made disaster. In the way things were handled, there are many areas that deserve serious review, he said. I hope the government can carry out an independent investigation and that there will be accountability. Authorities have arrested more than a dozen people in connection with the blaze, as they investigate possible corruption and the use of unsafe materials during renovations at the complex.

The Ukrainian delegation met with U.S. officials in Miami on Sunday ahead of scheduled talks between the U.S. and Russian officials, including Vladimir Putin, later this week.

Miami

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted a formal pardon request in his long-running corruption cases to the Israeli president. Herzog says he will "sincerely consider the request."

Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Two men and two women from the Paris region have been taken into custody in connection with the theft at the Louvre last month, prosecutors said.

Paris

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Entire areas of Sri Lanka's capital were flooded on Sunday after a powerful cyclone triggered heavy rains and mudslides across the island, with authorities reporting nearly 200 dead and dozens more missing.

Colombo

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Top Trump administration officials are meeting Ukrainian negotiators in Florida this weekend, pushing to broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Florida

Ukraine Invasion

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Caracas

Trump declares Venezuela's airspace closed

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Kyiv

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Ukraine strikes Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea

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Rome

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Investigators in Hong Kong are gathering evidence at the site of the apartment block fire that killed at least 128 people. At least 150 are missing, and 11 people involved in the renovation of the complex have been arrested.

Tsim Sha Tsui

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Istanbul

Pope Leo XIV visits Istanbul's iconic Blue Mosque on Turkey trip

The Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard members will face first-degree murder charges for an attack that prompted President Donald Trump to declare he would freeze migration from "Third World Countries" to the U.S.

Washington

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Leiden

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Hong Kong firefighters found dozens more bodies in an intensive search of a high-rise complex where a massive fire engulfed seven buildings, bringing the death toll to 128 with many more unaccounted for. Authorities arrested another eight people involved in the towers' renovation.

Hong Kong Island

More arrests made in Hong Kong as fire's death toll rises to 128

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's powerful chief of staff, a close ally of the president who has headed Ukraine's negotiation team at fraught U.S.-backed peace talks, quit on Friday (November 28), after anti-corruption agents searched his home.

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Damascus

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Jerusalem

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West Virginia

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Firefighting and rescue missions continued into Thursday for a second day after a massive fire broke out in Hong Kong, gripping a complex of seven high-rise residential buildings. At least 55 people were killed and dozens more were injured in what is the worst fire to hit the territory in decades.

Breakdown