Hong Kong:three people are being held on suspicion of manslaughter in the fire which has claimed 44 lives and left 300 more missing

Hong Kong: According to authorities, 44 people have died in the enormous fire that destroyed high-rise residential complexes in the Tai Po neighborhood of Hong Kong. As rescue efforts continue into the morning, with emergency personnel and firemen removing individuals from the burning buildings, over 300 occupants are still unaccounted for.

As flames quickly raced through seven of the eight buildings of the Wang Fuk Court complex, hundreds of people were evacuated in Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades. As the fire overtook the high-rises, dense smoke and bright orange flames spilled from windows.

Of the 44 casualties, 40 were pronounced dead at the site, according to officials. At least 62 additional people were hurt, many of them from smoke inhalation and serious burns.

According to the Fire Services Department, the fire at four of the buildings was “coming under control” by Thursday morning. According to officials, the fire began on the outside scaffolding of one of the buildings, a 32-story tower, and then, perhaps with the help of wind, moved inside the structure and subsequently to neighboring structures.

Three people are detained on suspicion of manslaughter.
at relation to a fire that started Wednesday afternoon at a housing complex in the Tai Po area, a neighborhood of the New Territories, Hong Kong Police have detained three individuals on suspicion of manslaughter. Rescue efforts continued since the fire had not been extinguished by Thursday AM local time.

At a news briefing early on Thursday morning local time, authorities said that the three men detained, who range in age from 52 to 68, are the company’s directors and an engineering consultant. The guys are being accused by the police with “gross negligence.” “We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” senior superintendent of police Eileen Chung said.

CNN reports that firemen discovered explosive polystyrene boards obstructing several windows at the apartment complex, and authorities discovered the name of the building business on the boards. Authorities also said that they believe other building supplies discovered at the units, such as canvas, plastic coverings, and protective netting, did not adhere to safety regulations.

Xi Jinping offers his sympathies
According to official broadcaster CCTV, Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday sent his condolences to the deceased fireman and offered his sympathy to the victims’ families. He also called for measures to reduce losses and injuries.

The housing complex housed 4,800 individuals, many of whom were old, in eight buildings with about 2,000 flats. It was constructed in the 1980s and has lately undergone extensive renovations.

Hours after the fire started, seven of the eight towers in the complex, which is home to a large number of senior citizens, were still on fire. It is currently thought to be the worst fire to strike Hong Kong in over 30 years, even more deadly than the notorious Garley Building fire in 1996, which claimed 41 lives.

Rescue efforts are hampered by the high heat.
According to fire commanders, workers found it challenging to conduct rescue efforts due to the high heat at the site. The fire swiftly spread on bamboo scaffolding and construction nets that had been erected around the outside of the buildings, rising in a column of flames and heavy smoke. Approximately 900 individuals were moved to makeshift shelters.

Hundreds of paramedics, police officers, and firemen were sent out, according to the authorities. From the top of ladder trucks, firefighters directed water at the fierce flames.

As night fell, the fire, which had begun in the middle of the afternoon, was raised to a level 5 alert, the most serious. According to authorities, firefighters continue to face very difficult circumstances.

More than 200 fire trucks and over 100 ambulances were sent to the area by firefighters.

Tai Po is a neighborhood of the New Territories in northern Hong Kong, close to the border with Shenzhen, a city in mainland China.

Although bamboo scaffolding is often used in building construction and repair projects in Hong Kong, the government announced earlier this year that it will begin phasing it out for public projects due to safety concerns.