The fire erupted around 3:00 PM local time (07:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Mr. Chung received a panicked call from his wife, who was trapped in their flat with their cat, unable to escape. He rushed home to witness black smoke billowing from the 31-story building.
Firefighters battled the flames for nearly 24 hours, containing the blaze that spread across seven towers and has so far claimed at least 83 lives. Nearly 300 people remain missing, including Mr. Chung’s wife.
BBC interviews with residents reveal the harrowing experience of those who either escaped or were away from home. Many, like Mr. Chung, spent hours outside the building in despair, desperately seeking updates from firefighters, who could provide little information.
Throughout the ordeal, Mr. Chung and his wife kept calling each other, both anxious and terrified. She reported feeling faint as smoke thickened around her. “She probably did faint,” Mr. Chung shared, his eyes red with tears. “I dare not call her again.”
The tragedy underscores the urgent need for fire safety measures in Hong Kong’s dense public housing complexes.
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