DFA: Unverified reports suggest Filipinos may be trapped in Hong Kong blaze

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has reported that some Filipinos “may be trapped” inside buildings of a residential complex struck by a deadly fire in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong’s New Territories on Wednesday.

The DFA disclosed this information in a statement on Thursday, citing unverified information received by the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong. “Consulate received unverified information that some Filipino domestic workers may be trapped inside the buildings. The Consulate immediately passed on this information to authorities,” the DFA said.

While the DFA has not received any confirmed reports of Filipinos killed or injured as a result of the Level 5 fire, efforts by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department to contain the blaze are ongoing. The DFA noted that due to the scale and intensity of the fire, it will take time to fully determine the extent of the damage and the number and nationality of the victims.

The Consulate General is coordinating with the Hong Kong Police Force and stands ready to assist any Filipino national who may be affected or injured in the fire. The death toll from the high-rise fire has risen to at least 44, with hundreds more remaining unaccounted for in the city’s worst blaze in decades.