At least 36 dead and hundreds missing in Hong Kong buildings blaze

A ferocious blaze has ripped through a housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighbourhood, the city’s deadliest fire in years.

Late on Wednesday, officials say at least 36 people, including a firefighter, had died with hundreds reported missing.

With it unclear how many people might still be trapped in the buildings, the death toll is however expected to rise.

Residents were evacuated as the fire spread across seven of the eight high-rise residential buildings in the complex which has been undergoing renovations since July 2024.

The cause of the blaze is not yet known but it was fanned by the construction mesh and flammable bamboo scaffolding sheathing the buildings.

Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction.

Public broadcaster, RTHK, is reporting that police have arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter over the fire.

By early Thursday morning local time, the fire department said the blaze was coming under control with three of the buildings showing no sign of flames.

Hong Kong's police and fire departments have established a task force to investigate the cause of the fire.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed condolences to the firefighter who died and extended sympathies to the families of the victims.