13-Story Residential Buiding In Taiwan Comepletly Razed Down By Fire, 46 Reportedly Dead

Taiwan: No fewer than 46 people lost their lives after a fire incident in a residential building in Southern Taiwan on Thursday, October 14 2021.

According to local media, the fire outbreak started in the 13-story commercial and residential building at 2:54 a.m local time (2:54 p.m ET) in Kaohsiung city’s Yancheng district.

The Spokesman at the Kaohsiung city fire Bureau who confirmed the death toll to be at least 41 told CNN that the rescue operation is currently going at the scene of the incident with more than 377 rescue workers on the ground.

A total of 139 fire trucks and ambulances were deployed to the scene and extinguished the fire by 7:17 a.m. (7:17 pm ET), CNA said. By midday, at least 62 people between the ages of 8 and 83 had been rescued.

The cause of the fire outbreak has not been ascertained, according to CNA. Local police are reviewing surveillance footage and said they cannot rule out human factors, according to the report.

More than 100 residents, many of them senior citizens with physical disabilities, live in the building, according to CNA.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen expressed her “deepest condolences” to the victims of the fire in a Facebook post.

Tsai promised that her government will “spare the most efforts” to rescue those who are trapped, resettle the residents affected by the fires, and provide necessary assistance to families of victims.

“Facing this serious accident, we extend our deepest condolences to the victims, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery,” she wrote on Thursday afternoon local time.