Over 46 persons have been confirmed dead and dozens left injured after a major fire broke out of a building in southern Taiwan on Thursday, October 14.
The fire 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, according to Taiwan’s official Central News Agency (CNA).
According to CNA a total of 139 fire trucks and ambulances were deployed to the scene. At about 7:17 a.m. (7:17 pm ET) the fire was extinguished and By midday, over 62 persons between the ages of 8 and 83 had been rescued.
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The report has it that over 100 residents lived there, many of which are senior citizens with physical disabilities.
Though it is unclear the cause of the fire cause, Local police are reviewing surveillance footage and said they cannot rule out human factors, according to the report.
In a Facebook post, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen expressed her “deepest condolences” to the victims of the fire.
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.
