44 killed, hundreds missing in Hong Kong building complex fire, three arrested

Forty-four persons were killed and over 270 are missing after a fire tore through eight residential towers in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, CNN reported.

The dead include a firefighter who died during the rescue operations, AFP reported.

The fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon and continued burning into Thursday as firefighters searched and rescued persons trapped inside the buildings. The towers are part of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex.

The housing estate comprises eight towers containing 1,984 flats and was home to 4,643 residents, CNN reported citing census data.

As of 8 am local time on Thursday, at least 66 residents had been hospitalised, including 17 in critical condition.

Many of those trapped are elderly, and rescue efforts have been hindered by intense heat, falling debris and rapidly spreading flames moving between towers.

Derek Armstrong Chan, the deputy director of the Hong Kong Fire Department, said that units were “unable to reach upward” to those trapped inside because of the extreme heat inside some of the buildings. “And we will keep going and keep trying,” he said.

A 65-year-old resident told AFP that many of his neighbours were elderly and had limited mobility. “The windows were closed because of the maintenance, (some people) didn’t know there was a fire and had to be told to evacuate via phone calls by neighbours,” he said.

Officials warn that the toll could rise as search teams gain access to the most damaged sections of the towers, CNN reported.

The authorities have launched a criminal investigation and three men have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. These include two directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, BBC reported.

The police accused the men of being “grossly negligent” after firefighters found highly flammable styrofoam boards blocking windows in several flats. Other construction materials, including protective nets and coverings, are also being examined for potential safety breaches.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Officials said the fire began on the external scaffolding of one of the towers before spreading inside the building and then to neighbouring blocks, likely accelerated by windy conditions, the Associated Press reported.

The complex had been undergoing renovation and was encased in bamboo scaffolding and safety netting, a traditional but combustible construction method widely used in Hong Kong, CNN reported.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed condolences, and urged all-out efforts to extinguish the fire and minimize casualties and losses.

The blaze is Hong Kong’s deadliest in more than 50 years. A fire in Sham Shui Po neighbourhood in August 1962 left 44 persons dead, while an earlier warehouse fire at the Wing On Company killed 176 people in September 1948, Reuters reported.