Hong Kong residential buildings blaze kills 55, hundreds still missing

At least 55 people have been killed in a huge fire that broke out on November 26 engulfing a high-rise public housing complex in Hong Kong - hundreds are still unaccounted for.

The conditions of 45 people have been stated to be critical.

The blaze tore through seven of eight tower blocks in Tai Po district.

In an update at 3pm on November 27, the Fire Services Department said that flames in four of the seven affected towers have been extinguished, while the situation in the remaining three is under control. One tower was not affected.

Authorities said on November 26 that at least 279 people were still missing after the city's deadliest blaze in three decades ripped through high-rise residential towers sheathed in flammable bamboo scaffolding.

Wang Fuk Court is home to some 4,600 residents, according to the latest figures. It's unclear how many were inside when the fire broke out.

As the fires subside, questions are turning to how the blaze initially started, and who should be held accountable.

Three construction company executives have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

Hours after the fire started in the northern Tai Po district, flames and thick smoke still engulfed the 32-storey towers where many people were believed trapped inside.

Rescue workers swarmed the site as shocked inhabitants watched on.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known, but it was fanned by green construction mesh and bamboo scaffolding, a mainstay of traditional Chinese architecture but subject to a phase-out in Hong Kong since March for safety reasons.

The fire was previously classified a level five blaze, the most serious level in Hong Kong.