Death toll from high-rise apartment complex fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district rises to 146 after rescuers find more bodies. The local police announced it on Sunday. TASR informs about it according to AP and AFP reports.
A police official told journalists at the scene of the tragedy that 100 people are still missing. “We cannot rule out the possibility of more deaths,” he stated. A massive fire broke out in the Wang Fuk residential complex built in 1983 as part of an affordable housing program on Wednesday afternoon local time.
The fire raged for more than 40 hours in seven of the eight high-rise blocks of the complex, which has almost 2,000 apartments and was home to 4,643 people. On Friday morning, the fire brigade announced that the extinguishing work had been completed. The complex was undergoing renovation, so it was surrounded by bamboo scaffolding and protective nets.
Hong Kong authorities said on Friday that 128 people had died in the fire, and around 200 people were missing.. The police unit to identify the victims has so far searched four of the affected buildings, reports AP. Three days of mourning for the victims of the fire began in Hong Kong on Saturday. According to Reuters, more than a thousand people paid their respects to the victims near the burned complex on Sunday.
