Forty-four people have been killed and 279 others are missing after a ferocious blaze ravaged a housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighbourhood, with scorching flames ripping through bamboo scaffolding on seven residential blocks.
Among the scores hospitalised, 45 are in a serious condition, according to the Fire Services Department.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu spoke to the public in a press conference at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin early on Thursday, after visiting a community hall the evening before.
Earlier, President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences in a late-evening statement and called for “all-out efforts” to minimise casualties and losses, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Source: South China Morning Post