The death toll from a high-rise fire in Hong Kong rose to at least 44 on Thursday, officials said, as the blaze continued to smoulder and police announced the arrest of three suspects.
Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for in what has become the city’s deadliest blaze in decades.
The fire erupted on Wednesday afternoon across an eight-building residential complex containing around 2,000 apartments, shocking the densely populated financial hub known for its towering high-rises.
At an early morning briefing, the fire department revised the death toll from 36 to 44. Police later said in a brief advisory that three men had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, without providing further details about their alleged roles.
The blaze first engulfed bamboo scaffolding surrounding several blocks of the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po, which was reportedly undergoing maintenance work at the time.
At the scene, an AFP reporter heard loud cracking sounds—likely from burning bamboo—and saw thick plumes of smoke rising as flames and ash shot into the sky.
A 65-year-old resident surnamed Yuen, who has lived in the complex for more than 40 years, told AFP that many residents were elderly and struggled to flee quickly.
“The windows were closed because of the maintenance, (some people) didn’t know there was a fire and had to be told to evacuate via phone calls by neighbours,” Yuen said.
“I’m devastated. There is loss of property and loss of life, and even a firefighter has died.”
Hong Kong leader John Lee said more than 900 people had taken refuge in temporary shelters.
From mainland China, President Xi Jinping called for an “all-out effort” to put out the fire and minimise casualties and losses, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The tragedy comes at a sensitive moment for Hong Kong, where soaring property prices have long fuelled public frustration. The disaster is expected to intensify resentment toward authorities ahead of the citywide legislative elections scheduled for early December.
Hong Kong’s Transport Department said that a full section of Tai Po Road — one of the city’s two major highways — had been shut down due to the blaze, forcing bus routes to be diverted.
The Education Bureau announced that at least six schools would remain closed on Thursday because of the fire and the resulting traffic disruption.
Prior to this incident, Hong Kong’s deadliest recent fire occurred in November 1996, when a blaze in a commercial building in the Kowloon district killed 41 people. That fire was sparked by welding work during renovations and led to major reforms in fire safety rules and building standards across high-rise offices, shops and residences.
*With Inputs from Agencies
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