55 killed in Hong Kong residential area fire

At least 55 people were killed and 200 others missing after a huge fire engulfed a residential area in the Tai Po area of Hong Kong on Wednesday afternoon, reported Xinhua.

The Fire Services Department of the HKSAR government was notified of the accident at around 2:51 p.m. local time.

Due to the fierce blaze, the department raised the alert to No. 5 alarm fire at 6:22 p.m. local time. Rescue operations are still ongoing.

Wang Fuk Court consists of eight residential buildings, all of which were undergoing major renovations, including exterior wall repairs.

At the time of the accident, scaffolding and protective netting covered the buildings. The fire spread from one building to seven others.

Chief Executive of the HKSAR John Lee chaired an interdepartmental emergency meeting on the fire. An emergency monitoring and support center had been immediately activated.

He was briefed by the Security Bureau and the Fire Services Department, and instructed relevant departments to make every effort in firefighting, rescue, and cure work.

According to the Fire Services Department, by 8 p.m. local time, a total of 128 fire engines and 57 ambulances had been deployed, with 767 firefighters engaged in the operation.