Taiwan fire: At least 46 killed after blaze engulfs Kaohsiung residential building
The blaze began within the 13-story industrial and residential constructing at 2:54 a.m. native time (2:54 p.m. ET) in Kaohsiung metropolis’s Yancheng district, in line with Taiwan’s official Central Information Company (CNA).
Rescue operations are nonetheless underway, with greater than 377 rescue staff deployed to the scene, a spokesman on the Kaohsiung metropolis fireplace bureau advised CNN. At the least 41 individuals have suffered accidents, he mentioned.
Initially, authorities put the demise toll at seven, however the metropolis’s fireplace chief Lee Ching-hsiu warned extra casualties had been anticipated as some individuals should be trapped within the residential a part of the constructing, between the seventh and eleventh flooring.
A complete of 139 fireplace vans and ambulances had been deployed to the scene and extinguished the fireplace by 7:17 a.m. (7:17 pm ET), CNA mentioned. By noon, at the least 62 individuals between the ages of 8 and 83 had been rescued.
Greater than 100 residents, lots of them senior residents with bodily disabilities, dwell within the constructing, in line with CNA.
It’s unclear what triggered the fireplace, in line with CNA. Native police are reviewing surveillance footage and mentioned they can’t rule out human components, in line with the report.
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