At least 13 dead as fire engulfs Hong Kong high-rise residential buildings

Authorities telephone the blaze a level 5 alarm arsenic flames engulf respective high-rise buildings successful a bluish Hong Kong estate.

At slightest 13 radical person been killed successful a occurrence that has engulfed respective high-rise flat buildings successful Hong Kong, authorities say, with immoderate residents reported trapped inside.

Flames took clasp successful respective flat blocks of the Wang Fuk Court property successful Tai Po, a territory successful the bluish portion of the city, connected Wednesday day earlier engulfing different parts of the buildings.

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Firefighters battled the blaze into the nighttime arsenic thick, achromatic fume billowed from the 31-storey towers and orangish flames lit up the sky.

An onlooker takes photos arsenic occurrence engulfs the buildings successful Hong Kong’s Tai Po territory [AFP]

Nine radical were declared dormant astatine the country and 4 sent to infirmary were aboriginal confirmed dead, said the Fire Services Department, which upgraded the blaze to a level 5 alarm aft nightfall.

At slightest 15 radical were injured, and section media reported that immoderate residents were believed to beryllium trapped wrong the buildings.

“There’s thing that tin beryllium done astir the property. We tin lone anticipation that everyone, nary substance aged oregon young, tin instrumentality safely,” a Tai Po nonmigratory surnamed So, 57, told the AFP quality bureau adjacent the country of the fire.

“It’s heartbreaking. We’re disquieted determination are radical trapped inside.”

Wang Fuk Court is 1 of galore high-rise lodging complexes successful Hong Kong, a metropolis that is 1 of the astir densely populated areas successful the world.

Records amusement the lodging analyzable consisted of 8 blocks with astir 2,000 apartments lodging astir 4,800 people.

Tai Po, located adjacent the borderline with mainland China, is an established suburban territory with a colonisation of astir 300,000 people.