Filipino in ICU, another missing after Hong Kong high-rise fire

MANILA, Philippines, November 28 ------ A Filipino domestic worker is in critical condition and another is still missing after a massive fire tore through a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Angelica Escalona said both overseas Filipino workers were employed as domestic helpers. One remains confined in the intensive care unit of a local hospital, while authorities continue searching for the other. Escalona said no Filipinos are confirmed among the 65 fatalities, based on reports from Hong Kong authorities.

The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong is coordinating with the territory’s Police Force, Labour Department and Home Affairs Department to determine the missing Filipino’s whereabouts and verify the status of those affected. “The Department is monitoring the situation in Tai Po closely,” Escalona said.

She also thanked Hong Kong authorities “who are helping locate, identify and assist affected Filipinos.” The DFA said 23 Filipino domestic workers have received welfare assistance from the Consulate, the Migrant Workers Office and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. The three agencies conducted a joint visit to Hong Kong government shelters to extend aid to displaced and distressed Filipino nationals.

Hong Kong authorities, meanwhile, said on Friday the death toll from the city's worst fire in decades had risen to at least 94, with the blaze almost entirely extinguished and rescuers scouring torched high-rise buildings for scores of people still listed as missing. The tai Po fire had been contained to four of the sprawling apartment complex's almost 2,000 units, well over 24 hours after the blaze broke out in the eight-building complex. Scores remain missing, although the exact number has not been updated since early Thursday.

Source: philstar.com