The death toll from a fire at a high-rise subsidized housing complex in Hong Kong has risen to 128, with dozens of people still missing, security chief Chris Tang said today.
The previous death toll, announced last night, was 94.
In the city's biggest fire in decades, 128 people died and 79 were injured, Chris Tang said at a joint press conference with firefighters.
Among the dead, 89 have not yet been identified, he said.
He said the investigation into the cause of the tragedy could take three or four weeks.
Authorities said today that more than 50 people are still in hospital, 12 of whom are in critical condition and 28 in serious condition.
Only thick smoke and sparks now emerge from eight 31-story buildings in the complex where renovations were underway in the Wang Fu district, the remnants of a huge fire that engulfed the buildings on Wednesday afternoon, AFP journalists report.
Firefighters continue to spray water on buildings to cool the supporting structure and prevent the fire from re-igniting. They are completing their search of the last apartments today.
About 900 residents were evacuated to temporary shelters.
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