Hong Kong fire live: Death toll rises to 44, search for survivors continues

Two Indonesian domestic workers were among those killed in a fire at a residential complex in Tai Po on Wednesday.

The Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong confirmed two deaths of its citizens, while two other Indonesians were injured.

A firefighter was the first to be named among those killed on Wednesday.

Ho Wai Ho, 37, was dispatched to the scene at 3.01pm and was found collapsed a short time later.

The identities of the other victims killed in the fire have not yet been confirmed.

An online app has been launched to deal with missing persons reports related to the Hong Kong fires, where 44 people have died.

It visualizes reports presented through a linked Google Doc with information on residents broken down by different towers and rooms.

This includes descriptions like “70-year-old mother-in-law, missing” or “a boy and a girl” or “rooftop: 33-year-old man”.

“A description simply says “27th Floor, Room 1: He is dead.

“The crowdsourcing app appears to list all the apartments in the Wang Phuc Court high-rise buildings.

According to the site, as of 8.30am Hong Kong time there were still no residents in more than 100 apartments, most of them in Blocks E and F.

It is Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in more than six decades, with at least 44 people confirmed dead and 279 still unaccounted for.

The current figure matches the Sham Shui Po fire in August 1962, which killed 44 people and left hundreds homeless after about 50 pounds (22.7 kg) of fireworks set on site sent flames reaching the building. South China Morning Post,

Other major tragedies include the Garley Building fire in Kowloon in 1996, which killed 41 and injured 81.

Hong Kong’s deadliest fire on record occurred in 1948, when an explosion on the ground floor of a warehouse storing “dangerous goods” caused a fire that killed 176 people. SCMP Informed.

After this, at least 44 people died and about 280 people went missing. Fire tore many apart densely populated Apartment block at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday.

the number of deaths is highest in fire In Hong Kong’s worst war since World War II, a fire in a commercial building in the Kowloon district in 1996 killed 41 people.

Winds caused flames to rise from seven buildings, with the fire not expected to be brought under control by the end of the day Thursday.

Dozens of workers from animal welfare agencies have sprung into action to rescue hundreds of missing pets, while firefighters struggle to find survivors in the inferno.

Workers arrived with oxygenated pet carriers and animal ambulances to search for pets in the burning complex, as social media posts showed elderly people crying for animals they had left behind in the rush to save human lives.

Some animal welfare activists carrying the cages negotiated with police to allow them through the cordon while keeping them away from the public, as a fire broke out at the premises on Thursday.

“Pet owners contacted our coalition and we compiled a list of more than 100 cases,” said Anson Cheng of the animal welfare group Hong Kong Guardians.

“We shared cases with firefighters so they could help check flats and pick up pets if they saw them.”

As of Thursday morning, at least 10 cats, seven dogs and several turtles had been rescued, Cheng said.

Hong Kong’s micro-chipping system of dogs and cats means it’s possible some survivors could be reunited with pets who managed to escape the fire, Cheng said.

Hiding under a blanket in a nearby park, a woman surnamed Law said she had been waiting for her cat all night and searching online platforms for news. She abandoned 10-year-old Fa when she ran away from her apartment in hopes of returning.

“When I went down the fire was very light,” she said. “Half an hour later, the fire had gone too high. The surrounding areas were also burning, there was no way to go back inside. I feel bad.”

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee gave the latest update on the fire at a morning briefing.

“The priority is to extinguish the fire and rescue trapped residents,” Li told reporters.

“The second is to support the injured. The third is to support and recover. Then, we will begin a thorough investigation.”

He said that about 279 people could not be contacted and 900 people were in eight shelters.

He said the government was suspending all campaigning ahead of the December 7 legislative council elections to focus on relief efforts after the deadly fire.

Lee declined to say whether the election might be postponed.

The upcoming vote is only the second since Beijing overhauled Hong Kong’s electoral system, changes widely seen as strengthening central control over the city.

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fire at the Wang Phuc Court housing complex that killed at least 44 people.

A fire broke out in three blocks of a high-rise residential complex in Tai Po district on Wednesday.

Hong Kong police said 45 people were in critical condition.

The fire broke out at 2.51pm local time on Wednesday and by 6.22pm it was upgraded to alarm number 5, the country’s highest alert.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the fire, which is believed to have spread through bamboo scaffolding installed on the exterior of the building.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has said the government may postpone an election scheduled for Dec. 7 for “patriots only” after deadly fires in high-rise buildings have killed dozens and left hundreds missing.

Describing the fire as a “huge catastrophe”, Li said authorities should prioritize rescue and recovery before focusing on political matters.

“We will conduct a comprehensive review and decision over several days based on Hong Kong’s overall interests,” he told reporters.

The election forums scheduled for Thursday and Friday have been suspended. Several political parties have also halted election campaigning until further notice, citing the scale of the tragedy and ongoing rescue operations.

Lee said the immediate priority was to “extinguish the fire and rescue trapped residents”, followed by assisting the injured and affected families.

The cause of the fire will be “thoroughly investigated”.

Hong Kong was due to go to the polls to elect all 90 members of its once-powerful Legislative Council, although Beijing’s control over the body has increased after it banned candidates who supported pro-democracy reforms.

The fire spreads into the city centre: Hong Kong is its skyscrapers, from the huge office tower blocks in the middle to the residential developments that cover every inch of buildable land in this compact metropolis.

Everyone I know in Hong Kong lives in tall buildings – rising rental costs Otherwise it becomes impossible to do, unless you base yourself on a remote island. This morning they’re looking out their 30th floor windows and wondering – could the next house be mine? And if that were the case, how would I run away from here?

Read a commentary piece by Asia editor Adam Withnall.