Hong Kong fire death toll rises to 55 people with fires still burning, officials say
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(LONDON) — The death toll from the massive fire at a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong rose to 55 as of Thursday, as search and rescue efforts continued.
Fifty-one of the deceased victims died at the scene, fire department officials said in a press conference, while four more people died in hospital.
There are currently 76 people being treated in hospital, with 15 in a critical condition and 28 in a serious condition, the officials added.
Fires are still burning in three of the seven affected buildings in Tai Po district, officials said, with all remaining blazes now under control. Seven of the eight buildings in the complex were impacted by the fire, officials said.
Three men associated with the construction firm in charge of the renovation at the housing complex have been arrested and are under investigation in connection with the fire, Hong Kong police said during a press conference early Thursday morning.
Police suspect the mesh used during the renovation was not up to standard, and the company installed a large amount of Styrofoam in the windows and the outer walls which acted as an accelerant once the fire began, police said.
The mesh and the Styrofoam were found in the one building that wasn’t impacted by the fire, police said.
More than 140 fire engines and over 800 firefighters and paramedics were deployed on Wednesday to respond to the fire, with drones also in use, officials said.
Some 279 people have been reported missing, Hong Kong leader John Lee said during a press briefing earlier Thursday.
“The fire has resulted in many casualties, including a fireman who died in the line of duty,” Lee said in an earlier statement posted to social media. “I express my deep sadness and my deep condolences to the families of the dead and the injured.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences and sympathies to the victims’ families and those affected in a statement.
He said he ordered authorities to “do everything possible to ensure search and rescue operations, medical treatment for the injured, and post-disaster relief, and to provide necessary assistance to relevant departments and local authorities to minimize casualties and losses.”
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine president, during a meeting at Downing Street in London, UK, on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (Tolga Akmen/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down at least 287 Ukrainian drones overnight into Thursday morning, soon after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previewed more meetings with foreign partners regarding a possible peace deal.
Forty of the drones were shot down over the Moscow region, 32 of which the Defense Ministry said were “flying toward Moscow.”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in posts to Telegram that emergency services had been dispatched to several sites where falling drone debris was reported.
A spokesperson for Rosaviatsiya, Russia’s federal air transport agency, said in posts to Telegram that temporary flight restrictions were introduced at all four of Moscow’s airports.
The latest exchanges came soon after Zelenskyy said his negotiating team was “finalizing work on the 20 points of a fundamental document that could define the parameters for ending the war.”
Zelenskyy was referring to the 20-point peace settlement proposal that Ukrainian, U.S. and European leaders have been working on for several weeks.
A Ukrainian official close to the peace talks told ABC News on Thursday morning that Ukraine had handed the U.S. a revised 20-point peace plan.
The official noted that the revised plan contains “some new ideas” regarding territories and control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
“This is not a new version, it is the same 20 points, only some of them have been slightly rethought,” the official said.
Ukrainian and American negotiating teams are expected to hold online consultations on Thursday regarding the peace plan, but the main topic will be security guarantees, not the revised points of the plan.
“Right now, there are three documents: the basic 20 points, the security guarantees and the document on the economy and reconstruction,” the Ukrainian official told ABC News. “Yesterday, we discussed the economy, today the guarantees.”
Russia continued its long-range strike campaign on Ukraine overnight.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 151 drones and three missiles into the country on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, of which 83 drones and two missiles were shot down. Impacts of one missile and 63 drones were reported across 34 locations, the air force said.
Zelenskyy said in a Wednesday social media post that a meeting with the “Coalition of the Willing” — a group of mostly European leaders backing Ukraine — was planned for Thursday.
“Ukraine is working swiftly; every visit and every negotiation we conduct always yields practical results for our defense and for our resilience,” Zelenskyy wrote.
(HONG KONG) — An Emirates Boeing 747 cargo plane skidded off the runway after arriving at Hong Kong International Airport and landed in the sea, according to airport authority.
Two security personnel were killed in the incident that occurred at approximately 4 a.m. Monday morning, local time, according to Hong Kong police.
They were not aboard the plane, but were in a petrol car that fell off the runway at the same time as the aircraft. One individual was declared dead at the scene and the other after being transported to an area hospital, police said.
The personnel, both men and longtime employees of the airport, were rescued from inside the submerged vehicle that was over 22 feet under the surface of the water and about 16 feet away from the embankment, according to officials.
Police said they suspect the plane struck the ground vehicle as it fell off the runway.
Four crew members on board the plane were rescued and taken to the hospital, according to police.
The weather and runway were safe for operation at the time, according to Hong Kong Airport Authority, and the cargo plane never signaled any issue before veering left halfway down the north runway and crashing through the perimeter fencing and into the sea.
The plane had originally departed from Dubai, officials said.
The airport authority said rescue operations began immediately after the incident, and the Airport Emergency Centre has been activated. The airport’s north runway is closed.
According to FlightRadar24’s review of ADS-B data, when the plane hit the water, it was traveling at about 49 knots.
(LONDON) — A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder for allegedly attacking multiple people with a knife aboard a train headed to London on Saturday evening, according to police, a crime the prime minister called an “appalling incident.”
In a statement shortly after the attack, British Transport Police (BTP) said two people had been arrested. On Sunday afternoon, however, police said a 35-year-old London man initially taken into custody had been released after investigators determined he was not involved.
The victim who was most seriously injured in the attack is a member of the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) staff, who was stabbed when he intervened in an attempt to stop the attack.
Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy of the BTP praised the railway staff member on Sunday afternoon for protecting other passengers, saying security video aboard the train captured the employee’s courageous actions.
“Having viewed the CCTV from the train, the actions of the member of rail staff were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved people’s lives,” Cundy said.
The LNER staffer remained hospitalized on Sunday evening in “life-threatening condition,” according to the BTP. Five other people who were hospitalized with stabbing injuries have been treated and released, according to police.
BTP Superintendent John Loveless said a total of 10 people were taken to hospitals by ambulance, and that an eleventh alleged victim went to a hospital on their own later Sunday night. Initially, Loveless said nine people appeared to have life-threatening injuries when they were taken from the scene.
The BTP said in a statement that it began receiving reports at 7:42 p.m. on Sunday about the stabbings aboard the LNER train that was headed from the city of Doncaster to London’s King’s Cross station.
“Our investigation is moving at pace and we are confident we are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident,” Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy of the BTP said on Sunday afternoon.
Armed officers boarded the train when it made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon, roughly 70 miles north of London, and arrested the suspect, whose name was not immediately released, according to Cundy.
“A knife was recovered by officers at the scene,” the BTP statement said Sunday afternoon.
The suspect is from Peterborough in the county of Cambridgeshire, about 74 miles from London, according to Cundy, who also said investigators believe the suspect boarded the train at the Peterborough station.
“As would be expected, specialist detectives are looking into the background of the suspect we have in custody and the events that led up to the attack,” Cundy said.
“This was a horrific attack that has had a wide impact,” Cundy added. “My thoughts and those of everyone in the British Transport Police are with those injured and their families — especially the brave member of the rail staff whose family are being supported by specialist officers.”
The UK’s Counter Terrorism Policing is supporting the investigation to establish “the full circumstances and motivation for this incident,” the BTP said in a statement.
“At this stage, there is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident,” Loveless said. “At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
Speaking at the scene of the attack on Sunday morning, Loveless said the suspect was arrested within eight minutes of the first emergency call being received.
“The appalling incident on a train near Huntingdon is deeply concerning,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement on social media. “My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a post on X that she was receiving “regular updates” on the investigation.
“Two suspects have been immediately arrested and taken into custody,” she wrote, adding, “I urge people to avoid comment and speculation at this early stage.”
King Charles III, meanwhile, said in a statement posted to the Royal Family’s official X account, “My wife and I were truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack that took place on board a train in Cambridgeshire last night.”
“Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with all those affected, and their loved ones,” the king said. “We are particularly grateful to the emergency services for their response to this awful incident.”
