Rescue operations at Hong Kong apartment complex almost complete', as death toll reaches 94

"Rescue operations inside the Hong Kong apartment complex that was engulfed by fire on Wednesday are almost complete, fire officials have said, as the death toll reached 94 early on Friday with scores more missing. Firefighters were combing though through the high-rises on Friday, attempting to find anyone alive after the massive fire that spread to seven of eight towers, in one of the city's deadliest ever blazes."

"Rescue crews were prioritising apartments from which they received more than two dozen calls for assistance during the fire but were unable to reach, Derek Armstrong Chan, a deputy director of Hong Kong Fire Services told reporters, adding that the operation was nearing completion. We'll endeavour to effect forcible entry to all the units of the seven buildings, so as to ensure there are no other possible casualties, Chan added."

Rescue and recovery operations inside the Wang Fuk Court housing complex are nearing completion as firefighters comb the high-rises after a massive blaze. The death toll reached 94 early Friday with scores more missing and the number of missing had not been updated since early Thursday when it exceeded 250. The fire spread to seven of eight towers, a spread linked to bamboo scaffolding and green mesh used during renovations. Rescue crews prioritised apartments that registered more than two dozen calls for assistance and plan forcible entry to all units to ensure no further casualties. Most fatalities were concentrated in two towers while survivors were pulled from others.

Read at www.theguardian.com