The death toll from Hong Kong's worst fire in decades rose to 128 on Friday, as authorities arrested eight more people and outlined how malfunctioning fire alarms and flammable construction materials led to the tragedy.

Families scoured hospitals and victim identification stations hoping to find their loved ones, with around 200 people still listed as missing and 89 bodies as yet unidentified.

Flames moved quickly through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po district on Wednesday afternoon, spreading through seven of the eight high-rises and transforming the densely packed complex into an inferno.

A picture began to emerge Friday of the interlocking factors that saw the situation spiral into the world's deadliest residential building fire since 1980.

Authorities said preliminary

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