The death toll from the devastating fire in a Hong Kong residential building has risen to 128, the city’s security chief said on Friday, making it the region’s deadliest blaze in almost 80 years. Still, a lot of people are missing.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang told reporters at a press conference that many people are still unaccounted for, and he offered his condolences to the families affected, Reuters reported.
City officials told Reuters that they were close to completing rescue operations after two days of searching through the burned remains of the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po.
Firefighters told them that the blaze, which tore through the eight-tower estate, home to over 4,600 residents and covered in bamboo scaffolding and green netting for renovation, was now mostly under control. The renovation materials are believed to have fueled the rapid spread of the fire when it started on Wednesday afternoon.
ALSO READ | Hong Kong blaze at Wang Fuk Estate kills 55, leaves hundreds missing; under-repair buildings to be inspected
Earlier, John Lee had announced that nearly 300 people were missing after the fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Hong Kong. The complex, located in the suburban Tai Po district, is home to around 5,000 people.
The Wang Fuk Estate was built as government-subsidised housing in the 1980s. Around one-third of its residents are elderly, many of whom were seen rushing out in wheelchairs as the fire broke out.
{This is a developing story. Please stay tuned with us for the latest updates}
