HONG KONG, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po totaled 3.6 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 462 million U.S. dollars) as of Friday, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said.

The HKSAR government has been disbursing living allowances to households affected by the residential complex fire, with 1,838 cases processed to date.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said that the probe into the fire will be concluded within nine months.

Lee appointed three people, including Justice David Lok, to form an independent committee to look into the fire's cause and examine whether related renovation projects had breached laws. Enditem