A survivor has been found nearly 24 hours after a massive fire broke out in a high-rise building in Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court complex.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), firefighters rescued the man from the staircase on the 16th floor of Wang Tao House.
The identity of the survivor is not yet known.
But the death toll from one of the deadliest disasters rose to 83 and more than 280 people remained missing as firefighters battled to contain the massive inferno for a second day on Thursday.
A fireman is also among the dead.
The AP agency reported that 76 people were injured, 15 of them in critical condition and 28 listed as serious.
Although the exact cause of the fire is not yet known and a criminal investigation is underway, it is believed to have started on bamboo scaffolding before spreading to seven of the complex’s eight buildings.
Video and pictures from the scene showed flames shooting from at least two towers wrapped in green construction mesh and scaffolding.
According to the SCMP, consultancy Will Power Architects expressed its deep sadness at the loss of life and property as a result of the fire and said the firm was cooperating fully with the police, fire brigade and the housing authority’s independent inspection unit by providing building plans and professional data.
She also pledged to help restore the estate, but declined to comment further at this stage to preserve the integrity of the investigation.
Several families who lived in the building lost family members, with one woman saying: “My baby is dead. I’m a mum who is constantly posting on social media trying to find my baby.”
She added that she can’t even find her father-in-law or mother-in-law.
Firefighters said they found a baby and an adult without signs of life in the apartment.
According to Reuters, a distraught woman carrying her daughter’s graduation photo searched for her child outside the shelter.
“She and her father are not out yet,” said the 52-year-old woman, who gave only her last name.
