US EditionDeath toll in Hong Kong fire rises to 44 with 279 still missing, authorities say
The fire in Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court killed 44, left nearly 300 missing, and was linked to bamboo scaffolding and flammable materials, police said.
- On Wednesday, a fire ripped through Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, killing 13 people, with nine declared dead at the scene and four later in hospital, the Fire Services Department said.
- Amid renovation work, bamboo scaffolding and construction netting helped flames climb the towers at Wang Fuk Court, spreading quickly between blocks, officials said.
- About 767 firefighters and a large complement of engines and ambulances battled the blaze, with authorities reporting at least 15 injured and two in critical condition.
- About 700 residents were evacuated to shelters as police and the emergency monitoring and support centre responded, with Tang Ping-keung expressing condolences for fallen firefighter Mr Ho.
- Historically rare, a level five alarm has not been declared in 17 years in Hong Kong, as the government development bureau moves to phase out bamboo scaffolding this year due to safety concerns.
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Everything We Know About the Deadly Hong Kong Apartment Block Fire
Screams echoed through the smoke-filled stairwells. Windows shattered from the heat. Trapped residents pounded on walls as flames swallowed their homes. By the time firefighters arrived, Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po was already a towering inferno, its outer scaffolding ablaze and the fire spreading with terrifying speed. At least...
3 arrested in Hong Kong fire that killed at least 55 and left hundreds missing
Dozens killed, more missing: At least 55 people have been killed after a massive fire spread across multiple high-rise apartment buildings in a Hong Kong housing complex, according to officials, with hundreds of people still missing. Firefighters have been working to reach some residents trapped on higher floors. Arrests made: Three men have been arrested
The fire, the deadliest in Hong Kong for decades, is now extinguished in four of the seven towers affected by the flames, and under control in three others.
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