Hong Kong police confirm 159 residents safe after major fire
The Hong Kong police said on Sunday the casualty enquiry unit has confirmed the safety of 159 residents previously reported missing after a major fire broke out in a residential complex on Nov. 26, Xinhua reported.
Speaking at a press briefing, Tsang Shuk-yin, officer in charge of the casualty enquiry unit of the Hong Kong Police Force, said that as of 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, the death toll from the fire had risen to 146, with 79 people injured.
At present, 100 cases have been classified as untraceable, due to reasons such as fragmented information, the individuals not residing in Wang Fuk Court, or informants lacking the missing persons' addresses, she said.
Earlier, it was reported that the blaze erupted at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in the Tai Po district on November 26 and was quickly raised to a number four alarm, the second highest fire alert level in Hong Kong. The fire affected at least three of the estate’s eight residential blocks, which together contain more than 1,900 apartments.