HONG KONG — The death toll from a devastating fire in a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong has risen to 128, with many residents still unaccounted for. Firefighters discovered dozens of additional bodies during a thorough search of the Wang Fuk Court complex on Friday. The fire, which broke out on Wednesday, engulfed seven of the eight buildings in the complex, prompting a massive emergency response. Authorities have arrested eight individuals connected to the renovation of the towers, including scaffolding subcontractors and project managers. The arrests were made as part of an investigation into potential negligence related to the fire. The suspects, aged between 40 and 63, are believed to have played roles in the construction and renovation efforts at the site. Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Hong Kong Fire Services, stated that crews focused on apartments from which they received emergency calls during the blaze but could not reach in time. The search for victims continues, with 89 of the recovered bodies yet to be identified. Approximately 200 people remain unaccounted for, according to Secretary for Security Chris Tang. The fire was exacerbated by bamboo scaffolding covered in netting and foam panels, which caught fire and allowed the flames to spread rapidly from one building to another. Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly 24 hours before bringing it under control, and it was not fully extinguished until Friday morning. Andy Yeung, director of Hong Kong Fire Services, reported that some fire alarms in the complex failed to activate during the incident. This raises concerns about safety protocols in the aging building, which housed many elderly residents. The Wang Fuk Court complex, built in the 1980s, contains nearly 2,000 apartments and is home to about 4,800 residents. Many of the casualties occurred in the first two buildings that caught fire. In addition to the fatalities, 79 people were injured, including 12 firefighters. One firefighter was killed in the line of duty. Authorities are investigating the materials used in the renovation, suspecting that some did not meet fire resistance standards. Police found highly flammable plastic foam panels attached to the windows of the unaffected tower, which may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. The incident is being described as one of the deadliest fires in Hong Kong's history. Previous significant fires include a 1996 commercial building fire that killed 41 people and a 1948 warehouse fire that resulted in 176 deaths. In response to the tragedy, officials plan to conduct immediate inspections of other housing complexes undergoing renovations to ensure compliance with safety standards.