H ong Kong police have alleged unsafe scaffolding and foam materials used during maintenance work may have been behind the rapid spread of a devastating fire at a group of residential tower blocks that has killed at least 55 people and left more than 250 missing.

Firefighters were still battling to reach residents who may be trapped on the upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex on Thursday due to the intense heat and thick smoke generated by the fire.

Authorities said the death toll had reached 55, with 45 people in hospital in critical condition, making it the deadliest Hong Kong fire in decades.

Fire service officials told a news conference that 51 died at the scene, while four died in hospital. They added that blazes in four of the eight apartment blocks in the estate ha

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