 Relatives search hospitals and morgues for loved ones missing after a Hong Kong housing estate fire, the world’s deadliest residential blaze since 1980.
HONG KONG: Desperate relatives searched through images of the dead and scoured hospitals two days after a catastrophic fire tore through a Hong Kong housing estate.
The blaze at Wang Fuk Court has claimed at least 128 lives, making it the world’s deadliest residential building fire since 1980.
Authorities said the status of approximately 200 people remained unclear as of Friday.
Fung visited a victim identification station with his wife to search for his missing mother-in-law.
“It is very tormenting as I have to look at… things I do not want to see,” Fung told AFP.
After two fruitless visits, the couple went to Prince of Wales Hospital but found no record of her admission.
Fung last spoke to his mother-in-law at noon on the day of the fire, but a call three hours later went unanswered.
Police offered no information about whether officers had entered her flat in the first of seven burned high-rises.
“They simply answered, ‘I understand but I have no idea’. I have heard the same thing 20 to 30 times today,” he said.
Another woman surnamed Wong broke down after failing to find her sister-in-law Tina and Tina’s twin sister.
“We cannot find them. We are going to different hospitals to ask if they have good news,” said Wong, 38.
Jan Yeung, 46, saw her 70-year-old mother on a stretcher in a news report but could not locate her in any public hospital.
“We cannot find her at all. No one has notified us of anything,” Yeung said, adding her sister was also missing.
At a public mortuary, staff unloaded dozens of bodies sealed in black bags as grieving relatives arrived by shuttle bus.
Fay Siu of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims described the atmosphere as “miserable and bleak”.
She urged the government to provide comprehensive assistance to families dealing with traumatic losses.
“Some have lost family members… They need to handle funeral arrangements immediately and cope with their emotions at the same time,” Siu told AFP. – AFP
