ISTANBUL – At least six people are dead and around 20 others are missing after a fire broke out overnight at a four-story hostel in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, local authorities said today.
Calling the incident “an absolute tragedy”, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed to the local AM morning news programme that six people have died and said the number is “likely” to increase.
“It is a horrific situation. And in the fullness of time, of course, there’ll be a number of investigations about what has happened and why it happened. But for now, the focus clearly has to be on dealing with the situation,” he was reported as saying by Anadolu Agency.
Responding to reports that the building had no fire sprinklers, he said it is not currently a requirement under New Zealand’s building code for older buildings to be retrofitted with them.
Although it was unclear how many people were inside the Loafers Lodge hostel, it has a capacity for 92 guests, with local media outlets reporting that 20 people were still unaccounted for.
The fire reportedly broke out just after midnight and was put out around 6am local time after more than 10 fire vehicles responded. – AFP, May 16, 2023
