Hong Kong fire that engulfed apartments finally doused as death toll nears 130, search for victims continues

Hong Kong — The death toll from a fire that tore through a Hong Kong residential complex climbed to 128 on Friday as more bodies were found in the blackened towers, authorities said. Secretary for Security Chris Tang told reporters at the scene that the search for victims was continuing and the numbers could still rise.

It took more than 1,000 firefighters some 24 hours to bring the five-alarm blaze under control, and almost two days later, smoke still continued to drift out of the charred skeletons of the buildings from the occasional flare-up.

The final search of the buildings was expected to be complete later Friday, at which point officials have said they will officially end the rescue phase of the operation at the complex in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near Hong Kong's border with mainland China.