A fire at a subdivided flat in Hong Kong late Sunday evening killing seven people, including a 9-year old child, and sending nearly a dozen more to hospitals across Kowloon.
The fire occurred in a Yau Ma Tei apartment that had been partially converted into an unlicensed Nepalese restaurant, according to authorities.
Four men and three women were reported dead at the scene while seven people were taken to hospitals in critical condition and four more are being treated for mild injuries.
Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam visited the site Monday morning to inspect the damage and expressed "deep sadness" at the steep loss of life.
Members of the city's legislative assembly offered their condolences in a statement.
The victims, most Nepalese, had gathered Sunday evening to celebrate a birthday and commemorate Diwali when candles likely ignited soundproofing materials lining the walls.
The roughly 800 square foot open-plan flat was in a building without sprinklers or fire alarms, according to a Fire Services Department representative. This is common in the warren of old residential blocks thousands call home.
Neighbors were alerted to the fire when a man climbed through a window in an attempt to escape the blaze. Others sought refuge in the back of the kitchen and it took about a half-hour for firefighters to fully extinguish the flames.
A nearby recreation center has been turned into temporary housing for other building residents.
This is the largest fire in Hong Kong since 2011, when a fatal blaze ripped through a Mong Kok neighborhood, killing nine and sending 34 people to hospital.
