(Photo : Photo by Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images)
KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN - OCTOBER 14: The exterior walls of a residential building stands charred in the wake of a fire on October 14, 2021 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Additional deaths are feared as at least 14 were confirmed dead after a residential building fire in the southern Taiwanese city, United Daily News reported.
A 13-story building in Kaohsiung's Yancheng District was engulfed by a massive fire that killed at least 46 people on Thursday, Oct. 14.
According to reports, 62 residents between the ages of 8 and 83 had already been rescued.
Approximately 100 of the residents living in the building are senior citizens with physical disabilities.
The blaze started at 2:54 a.m. local time, and more than 377 rescue workers were immediately deployed to the scene.
As of press writing, 41 people have also suffered injuries, and they were rushed to a nearby hospital.
Initially, authorities reported that only seven people died following the massive fire. However, the city's fire chief Lee Ching-hsiu said that there must be more casualties because some residents may be trapped between the seventh and 11th floors or the residential part of the building.
Taiwan president releases statement following the fire
Following the incident, Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen released a statement expressing her condolences to those that lost their loved ones in the fire.
She also vowed to provide support to those affected by the accident and to provide shelter to those in need.
"Facing this serious accident, we extend our deepest condolences to the victims, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery," she said via CNN.
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The cause of the deadly fire remains unknown
As of late, the cause of the fire remains unknown. But authorities are still reviewing the CCTV footage in the building so they still cannot rule out human factors.
The names of the individuals that were killed in the fire have not been disclosed. And the identities of those that were injured remain unknown.
According to the BBC, it took firefighters more than four hours to extinguish the blaze.
One of the residents said that they heard a loud bang that sounded like an explosion just before the fire broke out.
And in the days leading up to the fire, residents also heard boom sounds from the power lines.
Following the incident, fire officials urged the public to ensure that trash is disposed of properly to avoid it from accumulating. They also encouraged everyone to keep staircases unobstructed in cases of emergency.
The 13-story building is reportedly 40 years old. And its lower section housed restaurants, karaoke bars, and a cinema that were no longer in use.
Deceased residents rushed to the morgue, hospitals
Photos from the fire were published via the New York Post, and it shows bodies covered in cloth being transported out of the building.
Another snap shows a group of firefighters taking a break after they managed to put out the fire for more than four hours.
And a photo of the building from across the street shows how old it looks.
The building's entire ground floor is also covered in black smoke and ashes following the fire.
Less than a year ago, three Taiwan factories were also damaged in a massive fire.
Reports revealed that the fire broke out at the Sci Pharmtech Inc. factory in Taoyuan City's Luzhu District.
Two factory workers were injured and one immigrant from the Philippines died due to the fire.
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