The investigation report on the recent residential complex fire will be completed within nine months, John Lee, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), told a press conference Friday.

Lee also appointed Justice David Lok and two others to form an independent commission to investigate the fire's cause and examine whether related renovation projects had breached laws.

The fire, which broke out on Nov. 26 in Tai Po, has claimed 160 lives by 4 p.m. Tuesday, with six people still missing, according to authorities.