Hong Kong fire deaths rise to 55 as hundreds flee apartment blocks

The fire is the largest in Hong Kong in over 60 years (Image: AP)

Fire has ripped through an apartment complex in Hong Kong, killing 55 people, authorities have said. Firefighters battled one of the deadliest modern blazes in the city’s history for a second day on Thursday, fighting to control the fire which blackened several high-rise towers.

Three men from a construction company have been arrested, and rescues were continuing, PA reports.

Thick smoke poured out of the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near the border with the mainland, on Thursday morning.

The fire which started mid-afternoon on Wednesday had spread across seven of the complex’s eight buildings, and four of the towers were under control by morning, the city’s fire services said.

One fire