Xinhua News Agency, Taipei, October 14 (Reporter Chen Jianxing) A fire broke out in the "City City Building" in Yancheng District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan in the early morning of the 14th, causing heavy casualties.
According to the latest reports from Taiwanese media, after 13 hours of fire fighting and rescue, the on-site search has come to an end.
According to the Kaohsiung Fire Department, the fire has caused 46 deaths and 41 injuries.
The island media reported that this was the worst fire tragedy in Taiwan in the past 26 years.
It is reported that the Kaohsiung Fire Department dispatched 31 teams, 72 vehicles, and 145 people to the scene to rescue.
It is understood that the "City in the City Building" has been built for 40 years. It has 12 floors above ground, 2 floors underground, and floors 7 to 11 are residential dwellings, with 139 people actually living in it.
According to the Kaohsiung Fire Department, after the fire broke out, the fire on the scene was extremely violent. Many floors were severely burned, the buildings were old, and there were a lot of indoor debris, which made rescue operations difficult.
The main burning floors are from the 1st to the 6th floor, and the casualties above the 7th floor are mostly caused by inhalation of dense smoke.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
It is reported that the first floor burned was the storefront.
The Kaohsiung City Government revealed earlier that it does not rule out man-made arson, and the police have brought back 4 people for investigation.