A huge fire that engulfed high-rise towers in Hong Kong has claimed the lives of 44 people, with 279 still missing, the Chinese officials reported on Thursday. Meanwhile, three men have also been arrested for suspected manslaughter in the inferno, as reported by the Police Force in a press briefing on Thursday.
Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee said that 279 people are yet to be located in the historic fire involving multiple high-rise blocks, and at least forty-five people have been injured in the incident.
Meanwhile, it has also been reported that the polyurethane foam was used to seal windows of elevator lobbies in an unaffected building in the residential area. The police said that these materials are a possible cause for a large-scale spread of the deadly fire, which claims incentive destruction.
The men arrested by police are the executives of a construction company who install these materials for revamping the building. The
The three men arrested by police were executives of a construction company responsible for installing these materials for the renovation of the buildings. The suspects, aged between 52 and 68, include two company directors and a project consultant whose gross negligence is believed to have caused heavy casualties, it added.
Political Condolences
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday night extended his condolences over the deadly residential building fire and directed authorities to make every effort to extinguish the blaze.
He immediately requested updates on the rescue operations and casualties and instructed the director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to convey his condolences and sympathies to HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee.
According to Xinhua, Xi also directed the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the liaison office to support the HKSAR government in fully mobilizing firefighting efforts, carrying out all possible search-and-rescue work, treating the injured, and comforting the families of the victims.
