A Filipino domestic worker remains in critical condition while another is still missing following a massive fire that swept through a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported. Foreign Affairs spokesperson Angelica Escalona said both victims are employed as domestic helpers. One is confined in the intensive care unit of a local hospital, while authorities continue searching for the other. Based on reports from Hong Kong authorities, no Filipinos are confirmed among the 65 fatalities reported earlier. The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong is coordinating with the city’s Police Force, Labour Department, and Home Affairs Department to locate the missing Filipino worker and verify the status of affected individuals. "The Department is monitoring the situation in Tai Po closely," Escalona said, expressing gratitude to Hong Kong authorities for assisting in locating, identifying, and helping affected Filipinos. The DFA added that 23 Filipino domestic workers have received welfare support from the Consulate, the Migrant Workers Office, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. The three agencies conducted joint visits to government shelters to extend aid to displaced and distressed Filipinos. Hong Kong authorities reported that the death toll from the city’s worst fire in decades has risen to at least 94. The blaze, which broke out in an eight-building residential complex, has been largely extinguished, though rescuers continue to search the torched high-rise units for dozens still listed as missing. The fire affected four of the nearly 2,000 units in the complex, more than 24 hours after it began, with many residents still unaccounted for.
