The death toll in the Wang Fuk Court blaze has risen to 160 after DNA tests found one additional fatality.
Police Commissioner Joe Chow told reporters on Tuesday that human remains previously believed to belong to one person were revealed to be from two individuals: an elderly woman and her domestic worker.
Chow made the announcement nearly two weeks after the fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, engulfing seven of the eight towers at the government-subsidised housing estate in Tai Po.
At the same press conference, he also told reporters that the number of people missing in the fire had dropped from 31 to six.
Eight of the 31 people previously unaccounted for were confirmed to have died in the fire, including the migrant domestic worker, said Chief Superintendent Karen Tsang of the police force’s casualty inquiry unit.
See also: Families of deadly Tai Po fire victims begin providing DNA samples
Four people were found to have died before the fire, and 12 others were confirmed safe, leaving six still unaccounted for.
Chow also said that families of the deceased had confirmed the identities of 120 of the 160 casualties, while DNA tests were still being conducted on 40 sets of remains.
One set of suspected human remains found in the vicinity of the estate will be sent for forensic examination, he added.
After sweeping the areas around the residential blocks, police will soon enter the third phase of the search and remove the scaffolding surrounding the buildings to check for more remains.
The death toll may still be revised if more bodies are found, Chow said, adding that police have already conducted a preliminary check using drones.
The Indonesian consulate general said on Sunday that nine migrant domestic workers died in the fire, and one was missing.
According to the Philippine consulate general, one migrant domestic worker died and the rest have been accounted for.
