Hong Kong high-rise fire update: 128 confirmed dead, fire warning systems 'malfunctioning' | DW News

At least 128 people are known to have been killed in a now extinguished fire at the Wang Fuk Court high-rise housing complex in Hong Kong. With hundreds more reported missing, that figure is expected to rise even more. Hong Kong authorities said fire alarms were not functioning properly at the fire-ravaged residential complex in the Tai Po district.

"We discovered that the alarm systems in eight buildings were malfunctioning... We will take enforcement actions against the contractors responsible," city fire service chief Andy Yeung said. The announcement follows earlier reports that residents of Wang Fuk Court did not hear any alarms and had to go door to door to warn their neighbors of the fire. "Ringing doorbells, knocking on doors, alerting the neighbors, telling them to leave — that's what the situation was like," a resident told the AFP news agency. The fire began around midafternoon on Wednesday in one of the complex's eight towers, before rapidly spreading to surrounding buildings that were covered by bamboo scaffolding covered in construction netting.

#HongKong #WangFuk #TaiPo

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