Death toll from Tai Po fire rises to 146
發佈日期: 2025-11-30 21:08
TVB News
The No. 5 alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court has claimed at least 146 lives and injuried 79 as of this afternoon.
Authorities have yet to reach around 40 individuals affected by the blaze, and didn't rule out the possibility of more casualties.
White-clad personnel from the Disaster Victims Identification Unit continue rescue efforts after the catastrophic fire that ripped through Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court earlier this week.
The team earlier entered parts of the housing complex including Wang Shing House, Wang Kin House as well as the more heavily affected Wang Tai House.
"There are only three more buildings to be searched, and to be completed," said Lam Man-han, the Hong Kong police's regional commander for New Territories North. "But those remaining are difficult ones. So, I have to be very prudent and I will not shorten our estimated time for the time being. It is still three to four weeks."
The police said they discovered 30 bodies over the course of their search including 12 that were previously found by fire services personnel, but the recovery of the latter was delayed owing to the prioritisation of rescuing those still alive.
Cheng Ka-chun, the chief of the Disaster Victims Identification Unit, said the time is not appropriate to reveal the conditions of the remains, but emphasised bodies were found throughout the buildings, including stairways and corridors.
The police further noted they are speeding up efforts to identify the victims to alleviate the burden on affected families.
To facilitate local residents, a secondary school near the scene of the fire was used as a temporary meeting point.
This as Police Commissioner Joe Chow arrived during the afternoon to check on the situation on site.
Photos posted online show the state of damage inside several apartments at Wang Fuk Court, with the police stressing that the difficulty of their search was compounded by the lack of electricity inside the buildings.
Authorities added that among those that were initially reported to be missing, 159 were confirmed to be safe, 92 were confirmed deceased, and 37 suffered injuries.
Another 54 bodies remain unidentified. Some 100 cases were classified as "untraceable".
