HIBAPRESS
At least 13 people died on Wednesday as a result of a massive fire that swept through residential buildings in the "Wang Fuk Court" complex in Tai Po, northern Hong Kong, while some residents are still trapped inside the buildings, according to local media reports.
The fire broke out in bamboo scaffolding that was being used for maintenance work, before spreading to at least five buildings within the complex, while thick columns of flames and smoke rose from the site. The police announced that they had received reports of residents being held inside the residential towers. For its part, the fire department reported that 9 people died at the scene, while another 4 died in the hospital, and 15 others were injured, two of whom are in critical condition. The fire department also lost contact with one of its 37-year-old members for about half an hour before finding him with burns on his face, and his death was later announced in the hospital. As night fell, local time, the authorities classified the fire as the fifth degree, which is the highest level of alert in the Hong Kong emergency system, while efforts to control the fire continued.
