19 FILIPINOS RESCUED FROM HONG KONG RESIDENTIAL BUILDING FIRE – OWWA

NINETEEN Filipinos were rescued from a deadly fire that struck a residential building in Wang Kuk, Tai Po, New Territories in Hong Kong, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Thursday reported.

The fire has left at least 65 people dead and 300 others missing.

According to OWWA chief Patricia Yvonne Caunan, the 19  Filipinos were safely rescued and they are in close coordination with them.

“They were safely rescued at tayo po ay in close coordination na sa kanila. Marami po sa kanila ay nasunugan ng passport, nasunugan ng mga employment contract at ito po ay agad-agad namang sinusulusyonan po ng PCG (Philippine Consulate General) and our MWO (Migrant Workers Office),”  Caunan said.

She said food packs and dignity kits were also provided to the affected Pinoys.

Caunan said the Philippine government team is going around the shelters set up by the Hong Kong government to check if more Filipinos have been affected.

The fire broke out at about 2:51 p.m. (local time) on Wednesday.

Authorities said the complex, which was built in 1983, consists of eight towers, each 31 stories high, with seven initially affected by the fire.

A 2021 government census showed there are 1,984 apartments within the complex, with about 4,600 residents.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, together with MWO-HK and OWWA-HK, has not received any confirmed reports of Filipinos killed or injured as a result of the Fire Alarm Level 5 at a residential complex in Tai Po in New Territories.

However, the DFA statement said unverified information reaching the Post that some Filipino Foreign Domestic Workers may be trapped inside the buildings has been immediately passed on to the authorities to possibly assist in the rescue and response efforts.

“Due to the scale and intensity of the calamity, it will take some time before these reports are confirmed and the extent of the damage and number and nationality of the victims are fully determined. Efforts by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department to contain the fire are still ongoing,” the DFA further said.

“The Consulate General continues to coordinate with the Hong Kong Police Force Liaison Bureau and stands ready to assist any Filipino national who may be affected or injured in the fire. The Consulate General deeply sympathizes with the victims and their families and joins the people of Hong Kong in praying for the speedy recovery of those injured in the fire and for the eternal repose of the fatalities in this tragedy,” it added.