People in Hong Kong shared their sadness and anger on Tuesday as uncomfortable questions are being raised over who is to blame for the city's deadliest blaze in decades.

As the territory mourns over the high-rise apartment fire that killed at least 156 people, frustration is mounting over building safety lapses, suspected construction corruption and lax government oversight.

The fire broke out last Wednesday around scaffolding at the Wang Fuk Court complex in the Tai Po district and spread to seven of the complex's eight towers.

They were home to more than 4,600 people and many have been left homeless.

About 30 people are still unaccounted for, according to police.

“At the beginning I was sad,” said Tony Chow, who came to visit the tributes left near Wang Fuk Court. “But when I get more information from the internet, I get very, very angry.”

Sarah Lam was volunteering to help coordinate the board of messages left for the tributes.

"I hope there can be an explanation so that they can rest in peace," she said.

Police and the city's anti-corruption body have arrested 14 people so far in a wide-ranging probe into a multi-million dollar renovation project at Wang Fuk Court.

Those detained include scaffolding subcontractors, directors of a construction company and a consultancy, many of them on suspicion of manslaughter and gross negligence.

Responding to public pressure, the territory’s chief executive, John Lee, said Tuesday that an independent committee led by a judge will investigate the fire.

The initial investigation has focused on why the fire expanded so rapidly, overwhelming firefighting efforts.

Critics say bid-rigging and other collusion, inflated costs and a lack of transparency are common in Hong Kong projects.

Hong Kong, a former British colony that was handed to Chinese control in 1997, increasingly has cracked down on dissent and criticism of the government, which is deemed politically sensitive.

A sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 after a crackdown on massive pro-democracy protests already has effectively eliminated most public dissent.

So, Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong and local officials moved quickly to stifle accusations of government negligence over the deadly blaze.

AP video shot by Ayaka McGill and Jonathan Lee