Hong Kong: At least 36 dead as fire engulfs high-rise buildings

279 PEOPLE STILL MISSING

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Hong Kong's deadliest fire in years blazed late into the night on Wednesday as the city’s leader confirmed at least 36 people, including a firefighter, had died and another 279 people were reported missing.

Hundreds of residents were evacuated as the blaze spread across seven high-rise apartment buildings in a housing complex in Tai Po district, a suburb in the New Territories. At least 29 others remained hospitalized.

"Police and the Fire Services Department have already set up a dedicated investigation team to investigate the cause of the fire,” John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive, said.