Hong Kong buildings blaze kills 44, nearly 300 missing

At least 44 people have been killed and 279 others are missing after Hong Kong's deadliest fire in three decades ripped through high-rise residential towers sheathed in flammable bamboo scaffolding, authorities said.

Hours after the fire started in the northern Tai Po district, flames and thick smoke still engulfed the 32-storey towers where many people were believed trapped inside. Rescue workers swarmed the site as shocked inhabitants watched on.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known, but it was fanned by green construction mesh and bamboo scaffolding, a mainstay of traditional Chinese architecture but subject to a phase-out in Hong Kong since March for safety reasons.

Police arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter over the fire, public broadcaster RTHK said, without giving more details.

Working through the night, firefighters are struggling to reach upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, which has 2,000 apartments in eight blocks, due to the intense heat.

A firefighter was among the 44 killed, and 29 people were in hospital, Hong Kong leader John Lee told reporters. Some 900 people are in eight shelters.

"The priority is to extinguish the fire and rescue the residents who are trapped. The second is to support the injured. The third is to support and recover. Then, we'll launch a thorough investigation," Mr Lee told reporters.

Harry Cheung, 66, who has lived at Block Two in one of the complexes for more than 40 years, said he heard "a very loud noise at around 2.45pm" and saw a fire erupt in a nearby block.

"I immediately went back to pack up my things," he said. "I don't even know how I feel right now. I'm just thinking about where I'm going to sleep tonight because I probably won't be able to go back home," he said.

Frames of scaffolding were seen tumbling to the ground as firefighters battled the blaze, while scores of fire engines and ambulances lined the road below the development, according to Reuters witnesses.

"All government departments are fully assisting residents affected by the fire, prioritising the safety and well-being of the public," according to a government statement.

China's President Xi Jinping urged an "all-out effort" to extinguish the fire and to minimise casualties and losses, China's central television reported.

Hong Kong's Transport Department said that due to the fire, an entire section of the Tai Po road, one of Hong Kong's two main motorways, had been closed and buses were being diverted.

At least six schools will be closed tomorrow due to the fire and traffic congestion, the city's Education Bureau said.

It is Hong Kong's worst fire since 41 people died in a commercial building in the heart of Kowloon in November 1996.

That fire was later found to have been caused by welding during internal renovations.

A public inquiry yielded sweeping updates to building standards and fire safety regulations in the city's high-rise offices, shops and homes.

Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction.

The government moved to start phasing out the city's use of its bamboo scaffolding in March, citing safety.

It announced that 50% of public construction works would be required to use metal frames instead.

Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with some 300,000 residents.

Occupied since 1983, the complex is under the government's subsidised home ownership scheme, according to property agency websites. According to online posts, it has been undergoing renovations for a year at a cost of over €36m.

Owning a home is a distant dream for many in Hong Kong, one of the world's most expensive housing markets and where residential rents are hovering around record highs.