As a result of a powerful fire in a residential complex in Hong Kong, at least 160 people have died, and the amount of damage caused exceeded 5 billion Hong Kong dollars (642 million US dollars).
According to Modern.az, experts who assessed the economic losses after the tragedy told the "South China Morning Post" (SCMP) newspaper.
According to the latest information, the fire, which started on November 26 and was extinguished on November 28, completely destroyed 1,736 apartments along with all their contents. Approximately 5,000 people were left homeless.
According to experts, there are other losses not included in the damage assessment – a number of events in the city were cancelled due to mourning. Restaurants and public catering establishments announced the cancellation of numerous events. The Hong Kong Hotel Owners Federation also reported an increase in cancellations and postponements of bookings in the hotel sector.
The fire affected seven of the eight high-rise residential buildings of the "Wang Fuk Court" complex located in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories. The flames spread through construction nets and bamboo structures installed for cosmetic repairs in the buildings.
The current fire was the most tragic fire in a residential building in the city's history. Previously, the largest fire in a residential building in the metropolis by number of victims occurred in 1996 at the "Garley Building" complex. As a result, 41 people died and 81 were injured. However, Hong Kong has also experienced more tragic fires, but they did not occur in residential buildings. The fire with the most victims in the history of the metropolis occurred on February 27, 1918, at the "Happy Valley" racecourse. As a result of the collapse of the temporary grandstand and the outbreak of fire, more than 600 people died. During another fire in 1948 on "Des Voeux Road West", a fire in a warehouse spread to residential buildings, resulting in 176 deaths and 69 injuries.
