Hong Kong High-Rise Fire Kills 29; 77 Hurt

Fire tore through a 16-story commercial and residential building here, killing 29 people and injuring 77 others. At least eight people were missing after the blaze, according to police.

The injured were hospitalized, but there was no immediate word on their conditions. Twenty-three people were rescued unharmed.

Television coverage showed flames leaping from windows on the top floors, where steel window frames were bent by the intense heat.

People climbed out windows and clung precariously to air conditioners. Others waved pieces of cloth through tiny ventilation shafts to signal for help as a helicopter rescued residents from the blaze.

One man jumped from a window to a firefighter’s ladder. Another, who lost his grip on a windowsill, fell onto a makeshift roof.

Authorities said the 5 p.m. fire began in an elevator shaft but the cause was unknown. Fire officials said the building lacked an adequate fire prevention system.