United News of Bangladesh

The number of deaths from a massive blaze at a residential complex in Hong Kong has risen to 55, making it one of the city’s deadliest fires in recent decades, as firefighters continued battling the flames Thursday (November 27). Authorities reported that 51 victims were discovered at the scene, while four others died after being taken to hospitals. Dense smoke continued to billow from the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po, a northern district near mainland China. The fire began Wednesday afternoon and rapidly spread to seven of the development’s eight buildings. Officials said flames in four towers had been extinguished, while the remaining three were under control as of Thursday afternoon. The operation was expected to continue into the evening. A firefighter was among the fatalities, and more than 70 people were injured, many suffering burns and smoke inhalation. Resident Lawrence Lee anxiously awaited updates on his wife, who became trapped in their unit. He said she tried to escape when the fire started but was forced back by thick smoke filling the corridors and stairwells. Read more: Death toll in Hong Kong high-rise fire climbs to 36; 279 missing Winter and Sandy Chung, who lived in another tower, described seeing sparks as they fled. Though safe, they worried for their home. “I couldn’t sleep the entire night,” said 75-year-old Winter. Police arrested three men—directors and an engineering consultant from a construction company—on suspicion of manslaughter, accusing them of gross negligence. Officers later searched the offices of Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, which had overseen renovation work at the complex, and seized boxes of documents. Authorities suspect that some of the exterior wall materials failed to meet fire-resistance standards, contributing to the rapid spread. Police also discovered highly flammable Styrofoam attached near elevator lobbies in the unaffected tower, believed to have been installed by the construction company. Security Secretary Chris Tang said the materials would undergo further investigation. The fire is believed to have started on the external scaffolding of a 32-story tower before racing through bamboo scaffolding and construction netting, aided by strong winds. Fire crews used ladder trucks to target the flames, but rescue efforts were extremely challenging. Fire safety expert Alex Webb called the event “quite shocking,” noting that design regulations usually prevent fires from jumping between buildings. The materials used at the site, he said, could explain the unusual spread. Read more: Fire ravages Korail slum, leaving dwellers devastated amid water crisis Bamboo scaffolding, common in Hong Kong construction, has faced increasing scrutiny; officials previously announced plans to phase it out in public projects due to safety concerns. The housing estate, built in the 1980s and home to roughly 4,800 residents across eight towers and nearly 2,000 units, was undergoing major renovation. Around 900 people spent the night in temporary shelters, and Chief Executive John Lee said contact had been lost with 279 residents. Ongoing rescues continued into Thursday, though updated numbers were not immediately available. Lee announced immediate inspections of all residential estates undergoing renovations to ensure compliance with safety standards. Chinese President Xi Jinping extended condolences to the fallen firefighter and expressed sympathy to the victims’ families, according to state broadcaster CCTV, urging authorities to reduce casualties and losses. This marks Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades; the previous worst was in 1996, when 41 people died in a Kowloon commercial building fire that burned for about 20 hours. Read more: Death toll from Hong Kong tower fire rises to 44

Firefighters continued battling one of Hong Kong’s most deadly modern fires on Thursday (November 27), as flames ravaged multiple high-rise towers and at least 44 people were confirmed dead. Rescues remained ongoing, and three men from a construction company were arrested in connection with the blaze. Thick smoke continued to pour from the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po, a northern suburb near the mainland border. The fire, which erupted Wednesday afternoon, had spread across seven of the eight buildings, though four towers were reported under control by Thursday morning. At least 62 people were injured, many with burns or smoke inhalation, including one firefighter among the deceased. Police arrested three men — two company directors and an engineering consultant — on suspicion of manslaughter. “We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” said senior superintendent Eileen Chung. Investigators suspect that some materials used on the exterior walls failed fire-resistance standards, which may have accelerated the spread. Styrofoam, highly flammable, was also found attached near elevators in one tower, likely installed by the company, though its purpose remains unclear. Read more: Fire forces evacuation at COP30 climate summit in Brazil The fire began on the external scaffolding of a 32-story building, spreading through bamboo scaffolding and netting, and then into other buildings, aided by strong winds. Firefighters battled the intense flames with ladder trucks, but high temperatures, falling debris, and unstable scaffolding hampered rescue operations. The complex houses nearly 2,000 apartments for about 4,800 residents, including many elderly people, and was undergoing major renovations. About 900 residents were evacuated, and 279 were reported missing as of midnight Wednesday. Rescues were ongoing into Thursday morning. Residents described harrowing moments. Lawrence Lee, waiting for news of his trapped wife, said smoke-filled corridors forced her back into their apartment despite attempts to escape. Hong Kong leader John Lee announced the government would focus on the disaster and pause campaigning for the Dec. 7 Legislative Council elections, though he did not confirm if the vote would be postponed. Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the firefighter who died and sympathies to victims’ families, urging measures to minimize further casualties. This fire is the deadliest Hong Kong has seen in decades, surpassing the 1996 Kowloon blaze that killed 41 people over 20 hours. Read more: Death toll in Hong Kong high-rise fire climbs to 36; 279 missing Source: AP

Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in years blazed late into the night on Wednesday (November 26) as the city's leader confirmed at least 36 people, including a firefighter, had died and another 279 people were reported missing. Hundreds of residents were evacuated as the blaze spread across seven high-rise apartment buildings in a housing complex in Tai Po district, a suburb in the New Territories. At least 29 others remained hospitalized. “Police and the Fire Services Department have already set up a dedicated investigation team to investigate the cause of the fire,” John Lee, Hong Kong's chief executive, said. He said the fire was “coming under control” shortly past midnight. Read more: Left with ashes: Korail families lose everything in devastating fire Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed condolences to the firefighter who died and extended sympathies to the families of the victims, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He also urged efforts to minimize casualties and losses. The housing complex consisted of eight buildings with almost 2,000 apartments housing about 4,800 residents, including many elderly people. The housing complex was built in the 1980s and has recently been undergoing a major renovation. Fire chiefs said high temperatures at the scene made it difficult for crews to mount rescue operations. It was not immediately known how the fire started, but officials said the fire started at the external scaffolding of one of the buildings, a 32-storey tower, and later spread to inside the building and then to nearby buildings, likely aided by windy conditions. A column of flames and thick smoke rose as the blaze spread quickly on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that had been set up around the exterior of the buildings. About 900 people were evacuated to temporary shelters. Multiple buildings close to each other were set ablaze, with bright flames and smoke shooting out of windows as night fell. Authorities said that hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramedics were deployed. Firefighters aimed water at the intense flames from high up on ladder trucks. The blaze, which started mid-afternoon, was upgraded a level 5 alarm — the highest level of severity — as night fell. Authorities said that conditions remained very challenging for firefighters. Read more: Gazipur coil factory fire under control “Debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings (is) falling down,” said Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fire Service operations. "The temperature inside the buildings concerned is very high. It’s difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operations.” The fire department said that it received “numerous” calls requesting assistance. It said some residents remained trapped as of Wednesday night. Firefighters deployed more than 140 fire trucks and more than 60 ambulances to the scene. The dead included a 37-year-old firefighter, while another received treatment for heat exhaustion, Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung said. District officials in Tai Po have opened temporary shelters for people left homeless by the fire. “I’ve given up thinking about my property," a resident who only provided her surname, Wu, told local TV station TVB. "Watching it burn like that was really frustrating.” Tai Po is a suburban area in the New Territories, in the northern part of Hong Kong and near the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen. Bamboo scaffolding is a common sight in Hong Kong at building construction and renovation projects, though the government said earlier this year that it would start phasing it out for public projects because of safety concerns. The fire is the deadliest in Hong Kong in years. In November 1996, 41 people died in a commercial building in Kowloon in a level 5 fire that lasted for around 20 hours. Read more: Death toll from Hong Kong tower fire rises to 44