SOURCE: BBC
At least 36 people have been killed in a major fire engulfing apartment blocks in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong, with 279 people not accounted for
More than 700 firefighters are at the scene trying to tackle the blaze at Wang Fuk Court – which houses about 4,600 residents
A baby and an elderly woman have been rescued as the late-night emergency operations continue, local media reports
The government has paid tribute to a 37-year-old firefighter who died fighting the blaze, describing him as “dedicated and gallant”
Residents are asking for help from local authorities after losing contact with relatives inside the buildings, a local councillor tells the BBC
The fire has been classed as a level five – the most serious level in Hong Kong18:18
Hong Kong’s police and fire departments have established a task force to investigate the cause of the fire, chief executive John Lee has said.
The housing authority and buildings department has also launched a review focusing on whether the buildings’s fire retardant protective materials met required standards.
Lee says that materials from the buildings and the scaffolding surrounding them would be tested to check compliance.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang says that the rapid spread of the fire was “unusual” and the blaze should not have engulfed the buildings so quickly if regulated materials and scaffolding had been present.
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Fire department has what it needs to extinguish fire – John Leepublished at 17:5817:58
We’re seeing some more lines from John Lee’s update in local media in Hong Kong.
Lee says the director of fire services has assured him that there are sufficient resources and crews to extinguish the fire.
More than 800 firefighters and paramedics, with 140 fire engines have been deployed to deal with the blaze, he says.
Lee also says that of the seven buildings that were ablaze earlier, three were now not showing any signs of flames, while four showed “disparate signs of fire”
