Fire leaves 46 dead, dozens injured in southern Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The decease toll from a occurrence successful confederate Taiwan that engulfed a gathering overnight has further risen to 46, according to officials Thursday who said astatine slightest different 41 radical were injured.

The 13-story gathering caught occurrence astir 3 a.m. Thursday, occurrence officials successful the metropolis of Kaohsiung said. A occurrence section connection said the blaze was “extremely fierce” and destroyed galore floors.

At slightest 11 bodies were sent consecutive to the morgue, Fire Chief Li Ching-hsiu told reporters astatine the scene. Another 14 radical who showed nary signs of beingness were among 55 taken to the hospital. In Taiwan, authoritative confirmation of a decease tin lone beryllium made successful the hospital.

Officials said firefighters conducted hunt and rescue efforts into the afternoon.

Video shown connected Taiwanese tv showed orangish flames and fume billowing retired of the little floors of the gathering arsenic firefighters sprayed h2o astatine it from the street. After daybreak, they could beryllium seen spraying h2o into the mediate floors of the inactive smoldering gathering from elevated platforms.

The origin of the occurrence was unclear, but firefighters noted the flames burned astir intensely wherever a batch of clutter had been piled up, the occurrence section connection said.

Eyewitnesses told Taiwan media that they heard an detonation astir 3 a.m.

The gathering is astir 40 years aged with shops connected the little levels and apartments above. The little floors were wholly blackened.