The firefighting, search and rescue operation continued on Friday morning (local time) in Hong Kong, where the fires that turned an apartment complex into an inferno on earth continued to burn, three days after they broke out, and the toll of the tragedy became even heavier, reaching 94 dead, including a firefighter, according to information from the South China Morning Post newspaper and the RTHK network.
Another 76 people were injured, including 11 firefighters, according to the fire department of the autonomous region of China.
The search and rescue operation was expected to be completed in a few hours.
The fire broke out in one of the 30-plus-story apartment buildings on Wednesday and spread to the others, making it the deadliest disaster in Hong Kong in decades.
Investigations into the causes are underway.
Bamboo scaffolding and plastic netting had been placed around the apartment buildings for renovation work, which were built in the 1980s and needed repairs. Authorities believe these materials contributed to the spread of the fire that turned the apartment buildings into a death trap.
Three executives of a construction company were arrested and a case has been filed against them for serial manslaughter.
Source: protothema.gr
