Fire at southern Taiwan building leaves 46 dead, dozens hurt

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Officials accidental the decease toll from a occurrence successful confederate Taiwan that engulfed a gathering overnight has risen to 46 people.

Fire authorities accidental astatine slightest 41 radical person been injured.

The 13-story gathering caught occurrence astir 3 a.m. Thursday successful the metropolis of Kaohsiung. Nearby residents said they heard an detonation earlier the gathering caught fire.

A occurrence section connection says the blaze was highly fierce and destroyed galore floors.

The gathering is astir 40 years old, with shops connected the little levels and apartments above.

The BBC reports that it took firefighters 4 hours to extinguish the blaze.

The little floors were wholly blackened.

Video connected Taiwanese tv showed orangish flames and fume billowing retired of the little floors arsenic firefighters sprayed h2o from the street.

According to CNN, much than 100 residents unrecorded successful the building, galore of them older radical with carnal disabilities. One woman, who was not identified, says her 60-to-70-year-old parents were wrong astatine the clip of the blaze.