The death toll from the high-rise apartment complex fire in Hong Kong on the 26th has risen to 146.
Hong Kong authorities announced in a briefing this afternoon that after further search efforts at the apartment complex in Tai Po, northern Hong Kong, the death toll, which was previously reported at 128 as of yesterday, has now increased to 146.
As of now, the number of injuries recorded is 79, and the number of missing persons has significantly decreased from 150 to about 40.
The authorities explained that they have contacted and confirmed the safety of 159 people who were initially reported missing, and that 92 deceased and 37 injured individuals were included in the missing persons list.
Additionally, they mentioned that they have completed searches in four of the seven affected buildings, and more bodies are expected to be found.
The fire broke out on the 26th in a 32-story residential high-rise apartment complex housing around 2,000 households.
Of the eight apartment buildings in the complex, fires occurred in seven buildings and, under adverse conditions of dry weather and strong winds, the blaze was contained after approximately 43 hours.