Blaze compensation likely to be limited
Families of Shenzhen nightclub fire's Hong Kong victims told not to expect HK$1m
The families of five Hong Kong people killed in Saturday's Shenzhen nightclub blaze should not expect compensation anywhere near HK$1 million, although they will probably get more than the relatives of mainland victims, according to a union member who is helping the families.
As the nightclub was unlicensed and apparently had no third-party insurance, a special taskforce has been set up by the mainland authorities to handle compensation for victims of the fire, which killed 43 people and injured 88.
Huang Yin-zong, secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions' Shenzhen office, represented the families in talks with officials at the Longgang district office yesterday.
He said the government would cover all costs related to the deaths including cremation, embalming services and the families' meals and accommodation during their stay in Shenzhen.
But he was not optimistic that the ultimate amount of compensation would reach HK$1 million or even close to it, unlike in Hong Kong.
'There have been occasions where Hong Kong victims of a disaster in the mainland received a higher amount of compensation than their mainland counterparts due to different economies between the two places,' he said.
'But I never heard it can go anywhere near a million.'
Relatives of students Lo Ka-leung, Liu Pun-yuen and Leung Chun-yin, who died celebrating the 18th birthday of their friend Choi Wai-tat, also killed in the blaze, identified the bodies at Shenzhen's Sha Wan funeral home yesterday.
A fifth friend and the group's sole survivor, Cheng Sze-lap, was discharged from a nearby hospital shortly after noon and went home.
Parents of the four dead youngsters told FTU Shenzhen office chairwoman Zhu Ke that they wanted the cremations to be carried out together.
'They were very good friends, I was told. The parents think they would have liked to be cremated together and their ashes would be carried back to Hong Kong by their own families,' Ms Zhu said.
It was the first nightlife expedition on the mainland for two of the friends, Lo and Liu, who had recently obtained their home-return permits.
At the morgue, Lo's heartbroken father was seen gently wiping his son's face while talking to him in a shaky voice.
'Why were you so naughty? You insisted on playing on the mainland and lost your life, I hope you can rest in peace,' he said.
Ms Zhu said it might take a few more days to complete the administrative procedures before the families could bring the remains home.
The elderly father of a 40-year-old Hong Kong factory worker who was also killed in the fire identified his son's body yesterday but he sought no assistance from the FTU.
Saturday night's blaze prompted the Longgang district government to launch a 100-day crackdown on unlicensed entertainment facilities in the region - including clubs, bars and cafes.
At a government briefing yesterday, 14 people were said to have been arrested so far - including a female shareholder of the club who surrendered herself to the police, and a suspect whom officials called 'the instigator'.
They did not elaborate.
As of 5pm yesterday, 54 of the 88 injured remained in hospitals. Nine were in critical condition and 45 had shown improvement. Six were under observation.
