Madrid, 26 years old (European Press)
The death toll from the fire that broke out today, Wednesday, in several skyscrapers in Hong Kong, has risen to thirteen, including a firefighter, according to what the authorities confirmed, although it is not ruled out that the death toll will rise in the coming hours.
The fire affected many buildings in the Tai Po neighborhood, where many fire and emergency teams went. In the damaged buildings there are an unknown number of people trapped by the fire, which also resulted in about twenty people being injured.
Firefighters raised the state of alert to the highest level due to the fire, with its causes not yet known, which is already being investigated by the authorities, according to The Standard newspaper. The injured were transferred to two hospitals in Hong Kong, while at least one school was opened as a temporary shelter.
The “second-in-command” of the fire brigade, Derek Armstrong Chan, explained that “the temperature in the building is very high”, making it difficult for firefighters to enter to carry out rescue work, also affected by the fact that it had already entered complete darkness in Hong Kong, resulting in low visibility.
“Rubble and scaffolding from the damaged building are falling, which represents an additional danger to our front-line staff,” he explained, before insisting that workers “will continue to try” to reach the damaged floors to search for survivors, the South China Morning Post reported.
In the face of this situation, the Hong Kong Red Cross activated its psychological support line to provide care to those affected and relatives of the victims of the fire, which could have broken out on a scaffold made of bamboo, according to preliminary information, although the authorities have not confirmed this yet.