Perspectives from Hong Kong on Forensic Identification and the Tai Po Fire

Michael Rivera

We have worked hard to promote forensic and anthropological sciences in Hong Kong over the last five years. This has primarily involved the detailed study of the HKU Human Bone Collection, a historical medical teaching collection of 340 individuals, which provides abundant potential for developing and validating methods. In this presentation, we present our recent work, which includes a) investigations into age and sex estimation, b) considering community engagements and culturally-mediated ethics, c) examining the role of osteobiographies and palaeopathology in forensic anthropology, d) collaborating with teams across the world on facial reconstruction and biological profiling, and e) building research capacities with junior scientists and educating scholars in adjacent disciplines. On 26 November 2026, we were joined with the public in dismay and grief witnessing eight apartment block buildings in a residential area of Hong Kong burning. Official reports total 168 victims, including adults, juveniles, and pet animals. Our collective efforts performing research and building scientific capacities, in part, led to the successful recovery and identification of the Tai Po fire victims in Hong Kong. Their identification was only possible through collaborations with geneticists, archaeologists, law enforcement, forensic odontologists, and forensic pathologists. This talk will emphasize the importance of an international, interdisciplinary and community-engaged forensic anthropology, which strives towards ideals of having systematic recovery and identification practices.