Hong Kong fire: Death count rises to 44 with 300 still missing

Officials said 40 of the 44 victims were declared dead at the scene. At least 62 others were injured, many with severe burns and smoke-inhalation injuries.

The fire at four of the buildings was "coming under control" by Thursday morning, according to the Fire Services Department. Officials said the fire started on the external scaffolding of one of the buildings, a 32-story tower, and later spread to inside the building and then to nearby buildings, likely aided by windy conditions.

Three arrested for alleged manslaughter

Hong Kong Police have arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with a fire which began on Wednesday afternoon in a housing complex in Tai Po district, a suburb in the New Territories. By Thursday morning local time, the fire was yet to be put out and rescues continued.

The three men arrested, aged 52 to 68, are the directors and an engineering consultant of the firm, officials said at a press conference early Thursday morning local time. Police are accusing the men of "gross negligence." "We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent," said Eileen Chung, a senior superintendent of police. 

According to CNN, police found the construction company name on inflammable polystyrene boards that firefighters found blocking some windows at the apartment complex. Officials added that they suspect other construction materials found at the apartments - including protective nets, canvas, and plastic covers - failed to meet safety standards.

Xi Jinping expresses condolences

Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed condolences to the firefighter who died and extended sympathies to the families of the victims, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He also urged efforts to minimize casualties and losses.

The housing complex consisted of eight buildings with almost 2,000 apartments housing about 4,800 residents, including many elderly people. It was built in the 1980s and had recently been undergoing a major renovation.

Seven of the eight towers in the complex, which houses many elderly residents, were still burning hours after the fire first broke out. The fire is now believed to be Hong Kong's deadliest in nearly 30 years, surpassing even the infamous 1996 Garley Building blaze that killed 41 people.

High temperatures making rescue operations difficult

Fire chiefs said high temperatures at the scene made it difficult for crews to mount rescue operations. A column of flames and thick smoke rose as the blaze spread quickly on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that had been set up around the exterior of the buildings. About 900 people were evacuated to temporary shelters.

Authorities said that hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramedics were deployed. Firefighters aimed water at the intense flames from high up on ladder trucks.

The blaze, which started mid-afternoon, was upgraded to a level 5 alarm — the highest level of severity — as night fell. Authorities said that conditions remained very challenging for firefighters.

Firefighters deployed more than 200 fire vehicles and about 100 ambulances to the scene.

Tai Po is a suburban area in the New Territories, in the northern part of Hong Kong and near the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Bamboo scaffolding is a common sight in Hong Kong at building construction and renovation projects, though the government said earlier this year that it would start phasing it out for public projects because of safety concerns.