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Fire in southern Taiwan kills 46

Fire in southern Taiwan kills 46
A damaged residential building following a fire is pictured in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on Oct 15, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters
PUBLISHED ONOctober 15, 2021 1:29 AM

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 (Oct 14).

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.

Jets of water are sprayed as a fire blazes at Cheng Chung Cheng building in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in this still frame obtained from social media video dated early Oct 14, 2021. PHOTO: Reuters
Fire trucks at the scene of a fire at Cheng Chung Cheng building in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in this still frame obtained from social media video dated early Oct 14, 2021. PHOTO: Reuters 

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.

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