The Catholic Church in Hong Kong called the faithful to prayer after a catastrophic fire tore through a Tai Po high-rise estate, killing at least 44 people and leaving hundreds unaccounted for.
Church leaders urged Catholics to seek God’s consolation for the dead, the injured, and the displaced, according to Sunday Examiner, the official news service of the Diocese of Hong Kong.
“We implore the Lord to console all residents and faithful affected by this tragedy, and to grant eternal rest to those who have died,” the diocese said.
The five-alarm fire broke out on November 26 at Wang Fuk Court, a densely populated housing estate undergoing repairs. The diocese released a prayer asking God for mercy and healing for the community.
“Merciful Lord, we lift up to You the residents of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, who have been afflicted by the disastrous fire,” it read, calling for comfort for the injured and strength for those who lost their homes. The prayer included petitions for the dead and invoked the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church.
The appeal for spiritual support came as authorities continued to confront the scale of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades.
The blaze erupted Wednesday afternoon in the Wang Fuk Court estate, which includes 2,000 apartments, and rapidly engulfed bamboo scaffolding surrounding several buildings.
Police arrested three men after flammable materials left during maintenance work caused the fire “to spread rapidly beyond control”.
By early Thursday, firefighters were still working to reach residents trapped on upper floors.
Media reports indicated that some flats remained alight at daybreak, though the flames had weakened overnight. Thick smoke and falling sections of charred scaffolding added to the danger.
Among the dead was a 37-year-old firefighter found with burns on his face after losing contact with colleagues, according to fire service director Andy Yeung.
Chief Executive John Lee said early Thursday that 279 people were unaccounted for, though firefighters later made contact with some.
More than 900 residents sought refuge in temporary shelters as families arrived through the night to report missing loved ones.
“The temperature at the scene is very high and there are some floors where we have been unable to reach people who requested help, but we will keep trying,” said Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of fire service operations.
He said wind and drifting debris likely helped the fire jump between buildings, though investigations into the cause were ongoing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his “condolences to the victims, including the firefighter who died in the line of duty”, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
He urged authorities to “make every effort to extinguish the fire and minimise casualties and losses”.
Large coaches transported evacuees away from the compound as adjacent blocks were cleared. Parts of a nearby highway were also closed to aid firefighting operations.
Deadly fires were once common in Hong Kong’s crowded districts, but strengthened safety measures in recent decades have made such large-scale blazes rare. The Church asked the faithful to continue praying for those still waiting for news of loved ones.
