Hong Kong: Nearly 44 persons died in fire accident in an eight building complex on Wednesday afternoon. According to the official sources the fire which started on Wednesday afternoon in an eight-building complex with 2,000 apartment units shocked the Chinese financial hub.

It is the world’s most densely populated and tallest residential blocks. The death count from a high-rise fire in Hong Kong has risen to at least 44. The fire blaze still smoldered and three suspects were arrested, said police.

Hundreds more remained unaccounted for in the city’s worst blaze in decades. In a press briefing on the Thursday early morning the fire department said the death count rose from 36 to 44. Police said in a brief advisory three men were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire. It gave no details about what specifically they were accused of doing.

Huge flames first took hold on bamboo scaffolding on several apartment blocks of Wang Fuk Court in the northern district of Tai Po. It was reportedly undergoing estate-wide maintenance.

According to the media reports the scene of the fire heard loud cracking sounds Wednesday, possibly from the burning bamboo, and saw thick plumes of smoke billowing from the buildings as flames and ash reached high into the sky.

More than 900 people sought refuge at temporary shelters. Authorities said they will launch a probe into the fire as well as into the materials on the buildings’ exterior that may have caused the blaze to spread faster than usual.

According to the Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of fire service operations the temperature at the scene is very high and there are some floors where we have been unable to reach people who requested help, but we will keep trying.

He said the fire likely spread from one building to another due to the wind and drifting debris, although he added that authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze.

Chinese President Xi Jinping in a statement expressed condolences to the victims, including the firefighter who died in the line of duty. He offered sympathies to the families of the victims and those affected by the disaster, and called for making every effort to extinguish the fire and minimize casualties and losses, he added.