TAIWAN INFERNO KILLS 46

TAIPEI: Taiwan on Friday faced the aftermath of a fire that gutted a building in Kaohsiung, killing 46 people and injuring dozens.

The inferno broke out in the 13-storey, mixed-use building in Thursday’s predawn hours, according to officials, raging through many floors before firefighters gained control.

At the peak of the fire, the building was engulfed in flames, pictures published by

Taiwan’s official Central News Agency showed.

Responders used aerial work platforms to conduct search and rescue operations for residents, many of them reported to be elderly or with dementia and disabilities.

The scale of the devastation saw every floor blackened and most of its windows shattered.

The fire department said the blaze “caused 41 injuries and 46 deaths”.