Residents warn of faulty fire alarm: “It’s done”
The fire alarm in the now-burnt high-rise complex in Hong Kong was faulty, according to 83-year-old Chan Kwong-tak, who lives in the area.
“If anyone was sleeping, it’s done for them,” he tells the South China Morning Post, adding that residents in the buildings had to escape on their own.
Former district councilor Herman Yiu Kwan-ho confirms that there have been several reports of faulty fire alarms – even after a smell of smoke spread through the buildings.
Some residents were reportedly warned by a security guard who knocked on their door. But they were given very little time to evacuate.
Relatives desperate: “Don’t know if they’re safe”
Relatives of residents have tried to get inside the cordons of the fire-ravaged high-rise buildings in Hong Kong, reports the South China Morning Post.
“I don’t know if they’re safe,” shouts a woman who is not allowed in by the police.
The newspaper has also spoken to a man named Fung, whose 80-year-old mother-in-law may be in the burning building.
“I don’t know if she’s trapped in there or which hospital she might have gone to,” he says.
700 firefighters battling flames in Hong Kong
Around 700 firefighters are taking part in extinguishing the fire at a high-rise complex in Hong Kong, reports the BBC. At least 13 people have so far been confirmed dead by local authorities.
A further 15 are said to have been injured in the fire, which has prompted regional leaders to call an emergency meeting. Large cordons are in place at the scene and relatives are expressing concern for family members who may be trapped in the building.
Several people and over 100 pets are still missing and are feared to be trapped in the inferno.
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