Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Authorities in Hong Kong on Thursday announced the arrest of three people as the death toll from a fatal fire that engulfed a high-rise building complex continued to climb.
Firefighters on Thursday afternoon were still battling the five-alarm blaze at the public housing complex in Hong Kong's northeastern Tai Po District.
The fire was reported to police at about 2:50 p.m. local time Wednesday. Initial reports indicate the fire began on scaffolding outside one of the buildings in the complex, which was undergoing renovation. The blaze quickly spread to other blocks in the complex, resulting in dozens of deaths.
The suspects arrested -- men between the ages of 52 and 68 -- were executives of the construction engineering company behind the renovation work at one of the buildings, according to Hong Kong Police, which said in a statement that they were being held on suspicion of manslaughter.
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