KUALA LUMPUR - Migrant workers filled Hong Kong’s Victoria Park with tears and prayers over the weekend as they honoured victims of the city’s deadliest fire in more than a century.

According to MalayMail, many said they were caught in uncertainty as they searched for missing friends.

At least 10 of the 146 people who died in the Wang Fuk Court blaze were migrant workers, a group often overlooked despite their presence in the city’s labour force.

Dozens more remain unaccounted for, according to tally based on information from various consulates.

Hong Kong hosts nearly 370,000 migrant domestic workers, mostly women from the Philippines and Indonesia who care for infants and the elderly in an ageing society.

Sunday gatherings became moments of mourning as workers across neighbourhoods recited prayers for colleagues who had yet to be found, and some participants described gaps in support efforts for survivors.

An Indonesian worker, Sudarsih, said two of her friends remained missing.

“God bless, they will be found quickly and are safe,” she said.

Those gathered in Victoria Park sang hymns beside a banner paying tribute to migrant domestic workers killed in the disaster.

Dwi Sayekti, 38, said the tragedy should never be repeated.

“I hope in the future, it doesn’t happen again. And all of those who lost their lives in Tai Po can be found,” she said in a broken voice.

In Central, about 100 Filipino workers held a prayer service amid towering office buildings.

Dolores Balladares, chairwoman of United Filipinos in Hong Kong, said they were hoping for no further casualties.

“We are praying that hopefully there will be no more casualties in this fire tragedy,” she said.

Many prayers centred on Rhodora Alcaraz, a young Filipina who had just started work in Hong Kong days before the fire.

An unverified but widely shared account said she shielded her employer’s three-month-old infant with her body when flames engulfed the apartment.

Firefighters reportedly found her still holding the baby.

Alcaraz was said to be in intensive care, though her condition couldn’t be confirmed. Fellow migrant worker Michelle Magcale said the news left her emotional.

“I can’t express how sad it is,” the 49-year-old said.

She added that Alcaraz’s actions reflected her sense of duty.

“On behalf of her duty, on behalf of her responsibility, she saved one more life, we are thankful for that,” she said.

Balladares said Alcaraz deserved recognition for her courage.

“We also salute her because she gave her best to protect the family,” she said.

The Philippine consulate in Hong Kong confirmed that Maryan Pascual Esteban died in the fire.

Esteban left behind a 10-year-old son and her family in Cainta, Rizal.

The consulate said one Filipino was injured and the status of seven others remained unverified.

Indonesia’s consulate reported nine Indonesian nationals among the dead.

One Indonesian worker was injured and 42 others were still missing.

Support groups said survivors continued to seek urgent help.

More than 50 women approached the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body, according to its spokeswoman Shiela Tebia.

Tebia said many needed basic clothing after losing their belongings and were also coping with trauma from the disaster. “They are still processing, and some actually cannot sleep well, they are also traumatised,” she said.

She added that despite their condition, many continued assisting grieving employers.

“But despite that condition, they still need to support their employer because their employer is also grieving,” she said.

Tebia said consulates had pledged assistance, though details were unclear.

Indonesian Migrant Workers Union chair Sringatin said access to information had been slow. She said her group worked to help keep the community calm.

Hong Kong authorities said families of deceased victims would receive HK$200,000 in assistance.

Bethune House executive director Edwina Antonio said the aid was only a first step.

“What about those who survived?” she said.

She added that survivors had lost all their possessions.

“(Those) who are still in Hong Kong, they lost everything that they have,” she said.

Antonio urged authorities to include migrant workers in financial support schemes. She said many were their families’ main breadwinners.