Page 2 - Fire Accident

Datanomics: Commercial buildings emerge as the second-deadliest fire sites

A nightclub fire in Goa highlights growing risks in commercial buildings, even as data shows rising fatalities in such spaces despite an overall decline in fire deaths nationwide

Hong Kong voter turnout edges up despite anger over fire, electoral reforms

About a third of Hong Kong 's registered voters elected a new 90-member legislature Sunday, a turnout that avoided an embarrassment for the government but fell short of a ringing endorsement of an electoral system revamp that eliminated the once feisty opposition in the Chinese territory. The turnout rate reached 31.9%, surpassing the 30.2% in the 2021 election, the first held under the new system. It was much lower than before the electoral changes, when turnout topped 50%. Many of the city's 4.1 million eligible voters, especially democracy supporters, have turned away from politics since a crackdown that has stifled dissent. Candidates must now go through a vetting process that ensures they are patriots who are loyal to the Chinese government. The government says the changes were needed to bring stability after massive anti-government protests in 2019. The government launched a major campaign to drive up turnout, adding polling stations, extending voting hours and holding candida

At least 25 killed, 6 injured in massive fire at nightclub in Goa

At least 23 persons were killed in a blaze at a nightclub in North Goa following a cylinder blast late Saturday night, police said. Most of the dead were the club's kitchen workers, and included three women, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said. There were three to four tourists among those killed, he added. Sawant, who rushed to the spot, told reporters that of the 23, three succumbed to burn injuries and the others died due to suffocation. As per initial information, the nightclub had not abided by the fire safety norms, the chief minister said. The fire broke out at Birch by Romeo Lane after midnight. The popular party venue at Arpora village, around 25 km from the state capital Panaji, opened last year, We will take action against the club management and also against the officials who allowed it to operate despite flouting safety norms, Sawant said. This is an unfortunate incident during the peak tourist season in the coastal state, Sawant said. We will conduct a detailed ...

Timeline of deadly nightclub fires worldwide over the last 10 years

A devastating fire at Birch By Romeo Lane, a nightclub at Arpora in North Goa, which killed at least 25 people early Sunday brought back horrific memories of the deadly blaze that claimed 62 lives at a nightclub in North Macedonia in March this year. Here's a look at some other nightclub fires that claimed significant human lives in the past decade: * October 2015: Colectiv nightclub fire in Bucharest, Romania, killed 64 people. Pyrotechnics during a performance by the metalcore band Goodbye to Gravity ignited the club's flammable polyurethane acoustic foam. The fire spread rapidly. * December 2016: Ghost Ship' warehouse fire in Oakland, California, claimed 36 lives. The deadliest blaze in the history of Oakland was triggered during an electronic music and dance party. * January 2022: Fire at nightclub in Yaounde, Cameroon, killed 16 people. Blaze occurred due to fireworks lit while champagne was being served in the club. * January 2022: 19 killed in fire at Sorong nightclub in We

Hong Kong votes in legislative election after deadly apartment fire

Hong Kong voters are casting ballots Sunday in their second legislative election since a 2021 overhaul of the system eliminated the pro-democracy opposition in the Chinese territory. The poll, coming less than two weeks after an apartment fire that killed at least 159 people, is a possible test of public sentiment about the government's handling of the tragedy. The focus is on voter turnout, which fell to about 30% in the last election in 2021, after the overhaul dampened interest. Some analysts believe mounting public anger over government accountability in the blaze could suppress turnout further. City leader John Lee has called on citizens to vote, saying Friday it would send a signal on promoting reforms. He said he would put forth a proposal to the new legislature on how to support the victims, many who have been left homeless by the fire. The polls close at 11:30 pm. Deadly blaze stalled get-out-the-vote efforts Election campaigning was suspended after the fire and remained

Hong Kong police arrest man for posts about deadly fire that killed 159

Hong Kong's national security police arrested a man on Saturday in the first publicly confirmed arrest relating to criticism of authorities over a high-rise apartment blaze that killed at least 159 people. Police said he had been accused of posting information with seditious intention on social media. That mainly included (materials intending to) incite hatred among (others) toward the Hong Kong government and the central government, Steve Li, chief superintendent of the police National Security Department, told reporters. For example, he pointed to the Hong Kong and the central governments as instigators of exploiting the tragedy to cause chaos and turmoil, he said. That's something totally impossible. Local media reported other arrests earlier but authorities have not confirmed them. The fire, which broke out November 26 at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, has prompted a debate about government accountability. Authorities have warned against attempts to use the fire to try t

Hong Kong to start independent inquiry into deadly fire as pressure mounts

Hong Kong will set up an independent commission of inquiry headed by a judge to determine the cause of a deadly apartment block fire that shocked the city and make recommendations to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again, its leader said Tuesday. John Lee, the chief executive of the Chinese region, pledged to overcome vested interests and pursue accountability for a fire that killed at least 151 people. We must uncover the truth, ensure that justice is served, let the deceased rest in peace and provide comfort to the living, he told the media at a 30-minute weekly appearance completely dominated by last week's blaze. The fire started in scaffolding that had been set up around the Wang Fuk Court complex for maintenance work and spread to seven of the eight towers. They were home to more than 4,600 people and many have been left homeless. The initial investigation has focused on why the fire expanded so rapidly, overwhelming firefighting efforts. Authorities have cited both

Hong Kong fire: Donations hit $115 mn as crackdown on dissent tightens

Donations for victims of a Hong Kong fire that killed at least 146 people and left thousands homeless reached 900 million Hong Kong dollars (USD 115 million), authorities said on Monday, in a massive outpouring of sympathy and support. But as questions grew over who to blame for the deadly blaze, the government appeared to be moving swiftly to stifle criticism. A steady stream of people placed flowers, cards and other tributes at a makeshift memorial near the burned-out block of buildings, after long lines of mourners during the weekend. When something happens, we come out to help each other, said Loretta Loh, after paying her regards at the site. I have a heavy heart. The fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon at the Wang Fuk Court complex in the suburb of Tai Po. It burned through seven of eight apartment towers, home to some 4,600 people, and wasn't fully extinguished until Friday morning. Hong Kong police Disaster Victim Identification Unit staff went through four of the buildi

Hong Kong mourns as deadly fire claims 128 lives, sparks safety crackdown

A steady stream of people placed bouquets of white roses, carnations, lilies and other flowers Sunday at a makeshift memorial outside the blackened buildings of a Hong Kong apartment complex that went up in flames, killing at least 128 people in one of the city's deadliest blazes. Many bowed toward the scene of the fire and said short prayers, or left handwritten notes among the flowers. There has been an outpouring of support and sympathy, with thousands of city residents visiting the site of the fire to pay tribute to the dead and donate supplies to those who lost everything in the blaze, which started Wednesday and took until Friday to fully extinguish. The eight buildings of the Wang Fuk Court complex in the suburb of Tai Po had all been clad in bamboo scaffolding draped with nylon netting for renovations, with windows covered by polystyrene panels, and authorities are now investigating whether fire codes were violated. Hong Kong officials announced late Saturday they had order

Eight more arrested in connection with Hong Kong fire that killed 128

A local official informed that firefighting and rescue operations were nearly concluded after days of efforts to combat the deadly fire that claimed at least 128 lives

Despairing Hongkongers stranded by fire seek help amid housing shortage

The scale of the disaster unfolding in northern Hong Kong - which killed at least 128 - presents an acute challenge to a city notorious for its housing shortage and sky-high rents

Hong Kong fire sparks calls to end bamboo scaffolding, tighten safety laws

Some 200 residents of Wang Fuk Court were still unaccounted for as of Friday, with Secretary for Security Chris Tang saying at a briefing that officials couldn't rule out finding more bodies

Two tankers catch fire in Black Sea after being struck, crew safe: Turkey

Two tankers were struck and caught fire in the Black Sea, Turkish authorities reported, prompting rescue operations. Crew members on board both vessels were reported to be safe. The OpenSanctions database, which tracks people or organisations involved in sanctions evasion, described the vessels as shadow fleet or vessels used to evade sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Russia. Turkey's Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said the first tanker, the Gambian-flagged Kairos, caught fire in the Black Sea, approximately 45 km off the coast of Turkey's Kocaeli province. It blamed on the fire on an external impact, without providing details. The Kairos was sailing empty toward Russia's Novorossiysk port, it said. Within the hour, the maritime authority reported that a second tanker, Virat, was struck while sailing in the Black Sea about 35 nautical miles off the Turkish coast. It did not provide further details. Rescue teams were dispatched to the scene to pro

At least 128 people dead in Hong Kong blaze as rescue efforts underway

Firefighters battled for a second day to extinguish a blaze at a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong on Thursday, as the death toll rose to 94 in one of the deadliest blazes in the city's modern history. Rescuers holding flashlights were going from apartment to apartment at the charred towers as thick smoke poured out from some windows at the Wang Fuk Court complex, a dense cluster of buildings housing thousands of people in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near Hong Kong's border with the mainland. Officials said firefighters were still working on a handful of apartments and trying to enter all of the units in the seven towers to ensure there were no further casualties. Our firefighting operation is almost complete, said Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fire Services Operations. Firefighters were working hard to prevent the debris and embers from flaring up. What's next is the search and rescue operation, he added. It was unclear how many people remained missing or

Hong Kong officials warned of tower fire risk days before killer blaze

Multiple written warnings were issued to the contractor about the need to adopt appropriate fire safety measures at the estate then home to 4,600 people

Hong Kong high-rise fire puts spotlight on bamboo scaffolding safety

While the exact cause of the deadly inferno that swept across a Hong Kong apartment complex remains unknown, questions have been raised about the role of the bamboo scaffolding that enveloped the buildings at the time of the fire. The blaze, which has left at least 94 dead, has focused attention on the use of the ancient construction technique dating back over 1,000 years. Bamboo poles lashed together using wire and other strong materials are often found at construction sites in Southeast Asia. Hong Kong is one of the few major cities where such scaffolding is a common sight. Officials said Wednesday's fire started on the external scaffolding of a 32-story tower in the suburb of Tai Po, spread to the inside of the building and then to six other towers, likely aided by windy conditions. Officials are investigating why the scaffolding and other construction materials used in renovations to the outsides of the buildings caught fire. Bamboo is a fast-growing plant that forms tall, hol

Thousands left homeless as fire in Bangladesh slum destroys 1,500 shanties

A fire in a crowded slum in Bangladesh's capital has burned or damaged 1,500 shanties, leaving thousands homeless, authorities said Wednesday. No casualties were reported. The blaze, which began Tuesday evening at the Korail slum in Dhaka, was doused Wednesday after 16 hours, said Rashed Bin Khalid, a duty officer at the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defense. The fire service's director, Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, said about 1,500 shanties were burned or damaged in the blaze and thousands remained homeless. According to official data, about 60,000 families many of them climate refugees live in the slum which has an area of more than 160 acres (65 hectares). The slum straddles Dhaka's upscale Gulshan and Banani neighbourhoods, and it is surrounded by clusters of high-rise apartment and office buildings. Heavy smoke blanketed the area as flames engulfed the dwellings overnight. On Wednesday, the residents who lost their homes were desperate to collect their ...

36 dead so far in massive fire engulfs Hong Kong high-rise complex

Thirteen people were killed in a fire that spread across multiple high-rise apartment buildings in a Hong Kong housing complex, the city's fire services said Wednesday. Nine people were declared dead on the scene and four others who were sent to the hospital were later confirmed dead, authorities told reporters. About 700 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters. The raging fire sent up a column of flames and thick smoke as it spread on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that had been set up around the exterior of the housing complex in Tai Po district, in the New Territories. Video from the scene showed at least five buildings close to each other ablaze, with bright flames and smoke shooting out of many of the apartments' windows as night fell. Lo Hiu-fung, a Taipo District Council member, told local TV station TVB earlier Wednesday that most of the residents trapped in the fire were believed to be elderly people. The blaze started mid afternoon and after nightf

One dead, 7 injured after fire breaks out in Hyderabad electronics showroom

One person died and seven others were injured after a major fire broke out in an electronics showroom here, police said on Tuesday. The blaze started inside the showroom late Monday night and engulfed the two-floor building, which led to an explosion and due to its impact, a CNG-fitted car parked in front of the shop also caught fire, they said. One unidentified person died in the fire accident and seven others, including the electronics shop owner, sustained burns, a police official at Moghalpura Police Station said. The injured were shifted to different hospitals. As many as 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the flames were brought under control, police said, adding people residing in nearby premises were evacuated. Based on prima facie information, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Zone) Kiran Khare Prabhakar told mediapersons that the fire is suspected to have been caused due to short-circuit in the electronics showroom at around 10 pm on Monday. However, the exa

Fire breaks out at Hindalco's New York plant, second time in over 2 months

Aditya Birla Group firm Hindalco Industries on Friday said a fire broke out at its plant in New York and there were no injuries. The company's plant in Oswego, New York is of its US subsidiary Novelis. This is the second incident of fire at the company's plant in a little over two months. "There was incident of fire at the Novelis Plant in Oswego, New York on November 20, 2025, at around 8.45 a.m. (EDT)," Hindalco said in a filing to BSE. Everyone working at the plant was safely evacuated and fortunately, there were no injuries, the company said. Multiple local fire departments responded, and the fire is now out, it said, adding, "crews remain on site to monitor". Earlier, Hindalco Industries had said that the production at its plant in New York had been halted following a fire incident on September 16. The company had said it was investigating the cause of the fire and determining the impact on its operations. "There was a fire incident at the Novelis Plant in Oswego, New York