The cause of the fire is unknown.
Forty-four persons were killed and over 270 are missing after a fire tore through eight residential towers in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, CNN reported.
The dead include a firefighter who died during the rescue operations, AFP reported.
The fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon and continued burning into Thursday as firefighters searched and rescued persons trapped inside the buildings. The towers are part of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex.
The housing estate comprises eight towers containing 1,984 flats and was home to 4,643 residents, CNN reported citing census data.
As of 8 am local time on Thursday, at least 66 residents had been hospitalised, including 17 in critical condition.
Many of those trapped are elderly, and rescue efforts have been hindered by intense heat, falling debris and rapidly spreading flames moving between towers.
Derek Armstrong Chan, the deputy director of the Hong Kong Fire Department, said that units were “unable to reach upward” to those trapped inside because of the extreme heat inside some of the buildings.
