Support efforts for Tai Po fire victims announced by Hong Kong Government

閱讀中文版本

Measures span finance, accommodation, transportation, document replacement, funeral arrangements, and emotional support.

To support residents affected by the Tai Po fire tragedy, the HKSAR Government has mobilised multiple bureaux and departments to step up follow up support and recovery efforts.

Financial support

The Government has been offering an emergency cash subsidy of HK$10,000 for each affected household. In addition, the Government will provide a token of solidarity of HK$200,000 to the family members of each deceased victim, and a living allowance of HK$50,000 will be provided to each affected household starting this week.

To alleviate the mortgage repayment burden of affected owners at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, the Hong Kong Housing Authority has immediately relaxed the provisions regarding mortgage repayment periods and repayment amounts under the Deed of Guarantee. Such relaxation allows banks and financial institutions concerned to offer special mortgage arrangements to the mortgagors of subsidised sale flats with premium unpaid, including deferred repayment of mortgage instalments or principal.

The Financial Secretary has convened a coordination meeting with financial regulators to enhance support for residents affected by the fire. The Insurance Authority has set up a dedicated task force to coordinate the insurance sector's responses on the handling of public enquiries and claims. Insurers are also offering various forms of assistance, including prioritising claims processing, expediting payouts, offering premium holidays or extended payment deadlines, and providing interest relief on policy loans.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB) have discussed the follow-up measures with 28 retail banks (including digital banks). The banking industry has introduced six emergency support measures with immediate effect:

• All retail banks have established their respective designated committees led by senior management to coordinate internal resources and guide frontline staff to handle the cases of affected residents with flexibility. Banks have also set up respective 24-hour hotlines dedicated to answering enquiries, and will provide details and updates of their support measures via branches, websites and social media.
• Banks will offer a six-month pre-approved repayment grace period (including principal and interest) for mortgages, personal loans, and credit card loans etc., of affected residents, as well as waivers of related penalties and service charges.
• Banks will adjust their service schedules as necessary based on actual circumstances, and deploy additional staff to relevant branches to understand affected residents' special banking needs.
• Banks will assist affected residents or their family members by expediting the processing of related bank accounts, and prioritise helping affected residents to replace banking documents such as ATM cards, credit cards, and debit cards, with flexible collection or direct delivery arrangements.
• Banks will provide special assistance to affected residents who cannot present ID or banking documents, enabling them to access liquid funds and continue using other banking services through alternative identification methods.
• All retail banks will proactively contact affected residents who have purchased insurance policies through respective banks to assist them in submitting claims applications.

Fundraising and relief supplies

The Government has established a ‘Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po’. Apart from the start-up capital of HK$300mn from the Government, the donations received have reached HK$900mn, bringing the fund’s total to around HK$1.2bn. The fund will be used for assisting the residents in rebuilding homes and providing long-term and persistent support.

The supplies donation online platform established by the Government and the information technology sector has began operations to facilitate registration of supplies donations from organisations and members of the public, enabling better consolidation of information and supplies to residents in need as necessary. The Government has also set up a central supplies station at the Tai Po Community Centre to coordinate and properly manage the donated materials received.

Welfare services

The Social Welfare Department (SWD) is providing welfare services and other support (including financial assistance) to affected residents with the ‘one social worker per household’ service arrangement. Residents do not need any registration card as documentary proof.

The Government will further assign two to three civil servants to provide voluntary support, such as for running errands or collecting supplies.

Accommodation support

As of 1 December 2025, 683 residents have been accommodated, through the coordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels/camps or hotel rooms. Another 1,144 residents have been moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or the Housing Society. Furthermore, two shelters remain open for residents in need.

Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak said on a TV programme that the government will provide free housing to the survivors of the Tai Po inferno until they rebuild their homes.

Transportation support

To accommodate the needs of residents admitted into Lok Sin Village and Good House, the two transitional housing projects in Tai Po, the Transport Department (TD) has coordinated with KMB to enhance the service of route Nos. 72C, 73P, 74E, 75K, 75P and 275R travelling along Ting Kok Road, as well as relevant operators to strengthen the service of the New Territories Green Minibus (GMB) route Nos. 20B, 20C, 20E, 20G, 20R and 20T.

The residents' service connecting Good House and MTR Tai Po Market Station has commenced operation, while the frequency of the residents' service plying between Trackside Villas (another transitional housing project in Tai Po) and MTR Tai Po Market Station has also been strengthened.

A number of road sections remain closed amidst the follow-up work of the Tai Po fire. The TD has coordinated with KMB, starting from their first departures on 1 December, route Nos. 72, 72A, 73A and 74A will be diverted to Tai Po Road - Tai Po Kau via Yau King Lane to take passengers from the affected areas in Tai Po to Sha Tin and urban areas, reducing disruption to commute especially during peak hours.

The MTR will continue to enhance the frequency of the East Rail Line trains on relevant sections and the service of MTR Buses in Tai Po as needed, while franchised bus operators will reserve standby vehicles and manpower to meet passenger demand.

With the support from the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), the Government will provide the affected residents with Octopus cards with HK$2,000 of stored credit through the SWD, with each resident receiving one card to facilitate their daily travel. The MTRCL has also set up a support desk at the MTR Tai Po Market Station to facilitate express registration for residents whose JoyYou Card, Octopus cards for persons with disabilities, and Octopus cards for students that have been lost or damaged.

All lanes of the section of Yuen Shin Road between Tolo Highway and Tai Po Tai Wo Road (Ting Kok Road bound) and the slip road from Tolo Highway (Kowloon bound) to Tai Po Road - Yuen Chau Tsai previously closed have been reopened. Motorists may use road sections concerned to Tai Po InnoPark/Tai Po North and Nam Wan Road respectively. Of note, before the reopening of the remaining closed road sections, the traffic on Tai Po Road, Tolo Highway, Fanling Highway and roads in Tai Po town centre are expected to be busier and the public should avoid driving to these areas.

Replacement of identity documents

​The Immigration Department (ImmD) has announced special arrangements for the provision of special service sessions during non-office hours at the Immigration Headquarters at Tseung Kwan O with effect from 1 to 6 December for replacement of personal documents for residents affected by the Tai Po fire. Special services sessions are taking place on the following dates/times:

• 1 to 5 December (Monday to Friday): 6pm to 10pm
• 6 December (Saturday): 1pm to 10pm

The services include:

• applications for replacement of Hong Kong identity cards and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) travel documents (such as HKSAR passports, Documents of Identity for Visa Purposes, and Re-entry Permits)
• applications for Hong Kong birth certificates and certified copy of marriage certificates
• application for extension of stay
• requests for records in relation to current condition(s) and limit of stay.

Currently, residents affected by the fire may visit the following offices during office hours without an appointment:

• the Immigration Headquarters during office hours for replacements of Hong Kong identity cards or HKSAR travel documents
• any Registration of Persons Office for replacements of identity cards
• any Immigration Branch Office for replacements of travel documents

The ImmD will also deploy officers to the two temporary shelters still in operation (Tung Cheong Street Community Hall and Tai Po Community Centre) and arrange designated transport service to convey affected residents to the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O for processing relevant applications.

The applications for replacement of personal documents and extension applications received from the affected residents are free of charge.

In relation to travel documents such as Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Home Return Permit) as issued by the Mainland authorities, the ImmD has liaised with the China Travel Service (Holdings) Hong Kong Limited. The China Travel Service Document Services HK Limited Tseung Kwan O Centre will open in parallel with the special service sessions for the affected residents to apply for the applications of Home Return Permit and other travel documents issued by the Mainland authorities.

Funeral arrangements

In accordance with the Coroners Ordinance (Cap. 504), the bodies of the victims in the fire will be transferred to the public mortuary. The Department of Health's Forensic Pathology Service is collecting evidence for the Police's Disaster Victim Identification Unit and fully assisting in the identification of the deceased.

Considering that bereaved families may have difficulty providing identification documents and medical records of the deceased, forensic pathologists will exercise discretion on a case-by-case basis and provide appropriate support. They will also endeavour to assist bereaved families in applying for a waiver of post-mortem procedures according to their wishes.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will arrange dedicated staff to assist each family of the deceased in handling funeral arrangements, including body claims, cremation services, and applications for niche allocations. The FEHD will provide extra cremation sessions and make available niches at public columbaria under the Department, enabling families to arrange cremations and post-funeral matters promptly at their preferred time and location. A service counter has been set up at the Fu Shan Public Mortuary to offer assistance to families.

The Government will waive fees for cremation services and niches at public columbaria, bear funeral expenditures, and provide HK$50,000 to the families of each deceased individual.

Primary healthcare support

In view of the residents affected by the fire gradually relocating to various communities from temporary shelters, the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission) will leverage the District Health Centres (DHCs)/DHC Expresses (DHCEs) as hubs to provide personalised case management services to affected residents, free of charge, offering comprehensive support to meet their primary healthcare needs. The PHC Commission will also coordinate healthcare professionals from various disciplines to provide support, including specialised medical, nursing and medication services, as well as psychological support.

In addition, those affected may visit any of the Hospital Authority (HA)'s Family Medicine Clinics, where consultation, treatment, drug dispensing and other services will be provided. The PHC Commission is working with the HA to update the relevant systems so that affected residents can later make priority booking for Family Medicine Out-patient Services.

Support for schools

To support schools and students to cope with the incident, the Education Bureau (EDB) will offer HK$100,000 to each primary and secondary school (including special schools) and HK$50,000 to each kindergarten in Tai Po District under the Special Incident Assistance Grant. Schools may flexibly deploy the Grant to provide students, teachers and parents with appropriate assistance, which includes providing psychological counseling services and purchasing learning-related items for affected students.

In addition, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, with assistance of schools, will offer HK$5,000 to each affected student through the Jockey Club Emergency Relief Fund to address their immediate learning needs.

If any school premises was damaged due to the fire, the EDB will provide repair services through emergency repair works as soon as possible to ensure its safety.

The EDB has initiated the establishment of a territory-wide education sector support group for special incidents, comprising education bodies of primary and secondary schools, kindergartens and special schools; school councils; and various school heads' associations. This serves as an exchange platform for keeping abreast of the situation of all schools in Hong Kong, providing affected students with more tailored assistance, and garnering and unifying support to help students and teachers overcome trauma.

Educational psychologists and officers of the District School Development Sections of the EDB will continue to maintain close contact with the schools and provide necessary assistance.

Other departmental support

The Hospital Authority (HA) has confirmed that a Patient Care Assistant of Psychiatry Department of Tai Po Hospital (TPH) passed away in the fire tragedy. The HA will provide the utmost support, including an emergency fund to help the family through this difficult time. The hospital will offer further assistance, including psychological support and counselling, as well as arrangements for other necessities.

The New Territories East Cluster has initiated mechanisms to provide psychological support and counseling to those in need.

About 60 HA colleagues from various hospitals have lost their homes in the fire. The hospitals have provided assistance to the colleagues affected, including temporary accommodation and compassionate leave arrangements.

The Home Affairs Department will set up condolence points in all 18 districts for the public to sign condolence books to mourn for the victims until 1 December.

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Photo / GovHK