46 dead, scores injured in fire at southern Taiwan

Reuters photo

TAIPEI: A fire in a residential building in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung has killed 46 people and injured another 41, the government said on Thursday. The fire broke out in the 40-year-old building in Kaohsiung`s Yancheng district in the early hours of the morning and was extinguished around dawn.

The Kaohsiung fire department said in a statement that after completing a search of the building they were able to confirm 46 deaths. Mayor Chen Chi-mai said the building was partly abandoned, having previously been host to restaurants, karaoke lounges and a cinema.

The government is investigating the cause including whether arson was to blame.