At least 13 people were dead and several others remained trapped after a massive fire swept through multiple high-rise towers at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday, the city government and fire services department said, reported AFP.“The Fire Services Department handled a total of 28 casualties, nine of whom were certified dead at the scene. Six others were sent to hospital in serious condition, and four of them later died,” Chou Wing-yin of the fire services department told a press briefing at around 8:15pm (local time).Firefighters continued operations into the evening as thick black smoke poured out of the 31-storey residential blocks, which house around 2,000 apartments.Officials said they are still assessing how many people may be inside. Two residents are in critical condition with burn injuries, while others – including fire personnel – have also been hurt. Witnesses told the agency that residents gathered on a nearby overhead walkway watching the blaze as flames and smoke engulfed buildings surrounded by bamboo scaffolding, which is still widely used in Hong Kong construction. Scores of fire engines and ambulances were deployed to the scene.Local broadcaster TVB reported that Wang Fuk Court, a government-subsidised housing complex occupied since 1983, was undergoing major renovation work. The Fire Services Department said it received fire reports at 2:51pm (local time), and the situation was upgraded to a No 4 alarm – the second-highest – at 3:34 pm. The Tai Po district, near the mainland China border, has a population of about 300,000 and is among the many densely packed areas in the city. A similar blaze in Hong Kong’s Kowloon district last year left five people dead.The city’s transport department said a major stretch of Tai Po Road, one of Hong Kong’s key highways, has been closed, with bus routes diverted due to the ongoing emergency response.
