HONG KONG — Hong Kong filed manslaughter charges against several people and companies on Wednesday over the world’s deadliest residential building fire in decades, which killed 168 people at a public housing estate last year. The massive blaze, which engulfed seven of the eight high-rise apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court estate in November, prompted a months-long investigation into the cause. Public hearings were told that almost all life-saving fire safety measures had failed on the day of the blaze because of human errors. The directors of the construction contractor and the consultant firm involved in Wang Fuk Court’s renovation at the time of the fire, as well as an inspector, were accused of manslaughter along with their companies, according to charge sheets seen by AFP. Seven individuals in total were charged with laundering money and evading tax. The defendants appeared in court on Wednesday and told the judge that they “understood” the charges. The court heard those accused of manslaughter “unlawfully” killed 168 from the residential buildings in November, including resident
