Hong Kong fire kills 55, hundreds missing as police blame construction firm

A huge fire still burning in a Hong Kong apartment complex that has killed at least 55 people and left nearly 300 missing may have been caused by a "grossly negligent" construction firm using unsafe materials, police said on Thursday.



Almost a full day after the fire began, firefighters were struggling to reach residents potentially trapped on the upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex due to intense heat and thick smoke from the blaze that erupted on Wednesday afternoon.



The tightly packed complex in the northern Tai Po district has 2,000 apartments in eight blocks that are home to more than 4,600 people in a city struggling with chronic shortages of affordable housing.



The fire was still burning on Thursday afternoon, more than 24 hours after it started. Authorities said they had brought the blaze in four of seven blocks under control, with operations continuing in three.



Police officers searched the housing estate's building maintenance company on Thursday morning, seizing documents that mention Wang Fuk Court, local media reported. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



Three men from the construction company, two directors and one engineering consultant, had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over the fire, she added.



A firefighter was among the 55 killed with dozens in hospital in critical condition, Hong Kong authorities said on Thursday afternoon. Around 279 people remain unaccounted for.