Multiple dead, hundreds missing in fire engulfing apartment buildings

The deadly blaze ripped through a sprawling housing estate in the Tai Po district in the north-eastern corner of the New Territories.

The towers at Wang Fuk Court, a dense complex of nearly 2,000 apartments, are clad in bamboo scaffolding, which is commonly used to construct and repair buildings in Hong Kong.

There are eight buildings in the apartment complex, and seven of them caught fire. These are believed to be home to large numbers of elderly residents. Properties in Hong Kong are densely populated, with multi-generational families often living in a small apartment.

Wang Fuk Court is estimated to be home to approximately 5,000 people. The complex was built as subsidized housing in the 1980s and was undergoing a lengthy renovation process.

-Bloomberg