HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities said a fire at an apartment building in a crowded residential district has killed at least seven people and injured another 12.
The blaze occurred Sunday night in Yau Ma Tei, a usually bustling area in Kowloon packed with old apartment blocks, shops and businesses.
The fire broke out in what appeared to be a restaurant that was located in an apartment of a residential building, fire officials said at a news conference early Monday.
Police officers stand guard at a fire site, top left with broken windows, in Hong Kong Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. City authorities said a fire in a crowded residential district in Hong Kong has “caused a number of deaths and injuries”. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) 
A broken window is seen at a fire site in Hong Kong Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. City authorities said a fire in a crowded residential district in Hong Kong has “caused a number of deaths and injuries”. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) 
Flowers are placed at a fire site, top center with broken windows, in Hong Kong Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. City authorities said a fire in a crowded residential district in Hong Kong has “caused a number of deaths and injuries”. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) 
In this photo provided by China’s Xinhua News Agency, fire fighters and police officers investigate a fire scene in Hong Kong, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020. City authorities said a fire in a crowded residential district in Hong Kong has “caused a number of deaths and injuries”. (Lui Siu Wai/Xinhua News Agency via AP) 
A police cordon line is set at a fire site, top center with broken windows, in Hong Kong Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. City authorities said a fire in a crowded residential district in Hong Kong has “caused a number of deaths and injuries”. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
The South China Morning Post newspaper reported that seven people aged 9 to 40 were killed in the blaze, which it said was the deadliest since a 2011 fire that killed nine people. The paper reported seven of those hospitalized were in critical condition.
Video from local broadcaster TVB showed people on stretchers and in ambulances.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam issued a statement shortly after midnight saying that she was “deeply saddened that the fire in Yau Ma Tei last night caused a number of deaths and injuries.”
