The Government today (December 1) begins to provide tokens of solidarity of $200,000 and funeral grants of $50,000 to the families of the deceased from the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. The first batch involves 18 cases of the deceased. At the same time, the Government is gradually providing a living allowance of $50,000 to each of the 20 cases in the first batch.

     A Government spokesman said that in addition to the aforementioned tokens of solidarity, funeral grants, living allowances, and the previously disbursed emergency cash subsidy of $10,000, the Government will provide the following special subsidies:

 (1) Injury grant
An injury grant will be provided to all injured persons from the fire, since the injured may lose part of their income during hospitalisation and have immediate living needs after discharge. Calculated from the date of admission, $100,000 will be granted to those who stay in hospital for seven days or more, and $50,000 will be granted to those who stay in hospital for six days or less. It will be disbursed through the Social Welfare Department's "one social worker per household" mechanism.

(2) Student grant
A special subsidy of $20,000 will be granted to students living at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po for them to repurchase textbooks, stationery, computers, and other learning tools, or for transportation expenses between temporary accommodations and schools. The subsidy covers those studying in day schools, including secondary schools, primary schools, special schools and kindergartens, as well as those studying full-time in locally accredited courses at post-secondary institutions. The subsidy will be distributed to the students through the day schools.

(3) Subsidy for workers
A special subsidy of $20,000 will be offered to construction workers, cleaning workers, and security guards working at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to cover their loss of income due to employment stoppage or their need to repurchase business equipment. It will be followed up by the Labour Department.

 (4) Subsidy for foreign domestic helpers
A special subsidy of $20,000 will be provided to foreign domestic helpers employed at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. They may not have support from family or relatives in Hong Kong, and their personal belongings may already be completely destroyed by the blaze, or their employers may have tragically passed away. It will be followed up by the Labour Department.

     For the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po established by the Government, the donations received have reached $1.3 billion. In addition to the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has reached around $1.6 billion. The fund will be used to assist the residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.

Ends/Monday, December 1, 2025
Issued at HKT 21:12

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