Hong Kong is experiencing its worst fire nightmare.
At least 44 people have been confirmed dead and 279 others remain unaccounted for after a massive fire swept through public housing apartments in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, marking the city’s deadliest blaze in more than 60 years.
The inferno, which broke out at Wang Fuk Court, has been burning for more than 18 hours, with over 800 firefighters deployed in a desperate attempt to bring the flames under control. Authorities have classified the incident as a level-five fire, the highest emergency category in Hong Kong’s response system.
Local media reported that a baby and an elderly woman were rescued during overnight operations, but officials fear the death toll could rise as more residents remain trapped or missing.
Police say three construction company executives have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over flammable construction materials, including mesh and plastic sheeting, believed to have accelerated the spread of the fire through the building.
This tragedy has already matched the death toll of the notorious August 1962 fire in Sham Shui Po, which claimed 44 lives and displaced hundreds after fireworks stored on the premises triggered a rapid spread of flames to upper floors. It also surpasses the 1996 Garley Building fire in Kowloon, which killed 41 people and injured 81.
Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze on record remains the 1948 warehouse explosion involving hazardous materials, in which 176 people were killed.
Emergency teams in Tai Po are expected to continue rescue operations through the night as authorities race against time to reach those still missing.
