Death toll rises as rescuers use torches to comb burnt-out Tai Po towers
“He and his father haven’t come out yet,” said the 52-year-old man, who gave only his surname Ng, as he cried. “They didn’t have water to save our building.”
Local resident Lawrence Lee was waiting for news about his wife, who he believed was still trapped in the apartment.
A firefighter searches a building.Credit: access point
“When the fire started, I told him on the phone to run away. But when he left the apartment, the corridor and stairs were filled with smoke and everything was dark, so he had no choice but to go back to the apartment,” he said while waiting in one of the shelters overnight.
Lau Yu Hung, a 78-year-old retiree, said: New York Times When he just looked out the window, he saw flames rising in the building next door.
He and his wife barely escaped from their 19th-floor apartment in time. “No one warned us,” he said Thursday night, standing next to the burning building. “The alarm did not go off. We escaped on our own.”
Firefighters have been trying to control the flames since Wednesday afternoon, when the blaze is believed to have started in bamboo scaffolding and construction netting and then spread to seven of the complex’s eight buildings. The fire in four buildings was effectively extinguished and the remaining three towers were under control, officials said Thursday afternoon.
Firefighting efforts continued on the second day.Credit: access point
Hong Kong police have arrested the bosses of a construction company on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the city’s worst fire in nearly 80 years.
They were two managers and an engineering consultant from Prestige Construction, a firm contracted to maintain the buildings. Police said those arrested were suspected of manslaughter for using unsafe materials.
“We have reason to believe that the responsible parties of the company committed gross negligence that led to this accident, causing the fire to spread uncontrollably and causing huge losses,” police chief Eileen Chung said.
Police said they found foam material covering windows in an unaffected building during a yearlong maintenance effort. The city’s development bureau discussed gradually replacing bamboo scaffolding with metal scaffolding as a safety measure.
Prestige did not respond to repeated calls for comment.
The government added that police seized tender documents, a list of employees, 14 computers and three mobile phones during a raid on the company’s office.
The confirmed death toll in Hong Kong rose to 83 as of midnight Thursday. South China Morning Post It was reported with reference to the Fire Services Department. It was the deadliest fire since 1948, when a warehouse fire in Hong Kong killed 176 people.
The ministry said more than 70 people were injured, including 11 firefighters.
Volunteers provide clothing and supplies to surviving residents following the deadly fire. Credit: access point
It is unknown how many people are still missing. The government said 279 people were listed as missing in the first hours, but that figure has not yet been updated.
In his telegram to Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-Yan, bishop of Hong Kong, Pope Leo sent “spiritual solidarity to all who are suffering from the effects of this disaster, especially the injured and suffering families.”
Hong Kong leader John Lee said the government would create a HK$300 million ($39 million) fund to help residents, while automakers Xiaomi, Xpeng and Geely, as well as Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Tencent’s charitable foundation, also announced donations.
After the fire, citizens took shelter in a nearby shopping mall.Credit: access point
On the second night after the fire, dozens of evacuees placed mattresses in a nearby shopping mall, while many said official evacuation centers should be reserved for those in greater need.
From elderly residents to schoolchildren, people wrapped themselves in doonas and sheltered in tents outside a McDonald’s and convenience stores, with a steady stream of volunteers handing out snacks and toiletries.
Eight blocks of the cramped complex of 2,000 flats were home to more than 4,600 people in the financial hub struggling to overcome a chronic shortage of affordable housing.
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On Thursday night, Lau Wan King said: New York Times He said his brother-in-law lived in the building that first caught fire. The 79-year-old part-time minibus driver said he waited outside the police cordon near the towers for news for 12 hours.
He said that he called his relative on his mobile phone as soon as he heard about the fire. His brother-in-law said he had difficulty escaping from his eighth-floor apartment because the building was already filled with smoke. This was their last conversation.
“There’s not much hope anymore,” Lau said.
Reuters, AP
