Fire in Hong Kong: death toll rises to 44

Tengrinews.kz – At least 44 people have died in a devastating large fire in a residential complex in Hong Kong, according to Deutsche Welle.

This was announced at a press conference on Thursday morning, November 27, by John Lee, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.

Earlier reports stated that 36 people had died and 279 were missing. According to authorities, an additional 29 people were hospitalized, seven of whom are in critical condition.

The fire broke out on Wednesday in the Tai Po district in the northern part of the city and rapidly spread along bamboo scaffolding, jumping to several high-rise buildings.

According to the fire department, at least five of the eight residential blocks of the Wang Fuk Court complex were engulfed in flames.

Among the dead was also a firefighter who temporarily lost contact with his team during the operation and was later found with burns.

Authorities assigned the fire the highest - fifth - danger level. The last time a fire in Hong Kong was classified at this level was in 2008.

According to the deputy head of the fire service, the fire spread extremely fast due to strong winds and flying debris. The official cause has not yet been determined. However, South China Morning Post reported earlier that local residents had complained about construction workers smoking at the site.

According to media reports, police have arrested three people on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter.

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and urged Hong Kong authorities to make every effort to extinguish the fire and minimize damage.

Hong Kong has some of the world’s tallest and most densely populated residential buildings. Fatal fires used to be more common, especially in poorer districts, but in recent decades safety measures have significantly improved, and large residential fires in Hong Kong have become much rarer.