The blaze took hold last Wednesday and engulfed Wang Fuk Court in the northern Tai Po district, becoming the world's deadliest residential building fire since 1980.

"We have found 159 bodies, of whom 140 were identified on a preliminary basis," police commissioner Joe Chow told a news conference, describing the information as an "interim wrap-up" following the completion of building searches.

He said the toll may still be revised as officers had found "suspected human bones" that require forensic testing.

The dead include at least 91 women and 49 men, with the youngest victim being a one-year-old baby and the oldest 97, Chow added.