Oct 14, 2021 - World

Structure fire kills at least 46 in southern Taiwan

Jacob Knutson

Firefighters searching for victims after a residential building caught fire in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Oct. 14. Photo: Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images

At least 46 people are dead and another 41 are injured after a fire engulfed a 13-story residential building in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Thursday, making it one of the country's deadliest fires in decades.

The big picture: The fire department said the blaze, which started about 3am local time from currently unknown causes, destroyed multiple floors of the building, which was already badly damaged from a fire two decades ago, according to the New York Times.

At least 120 families, mostly low-income and older residents, lived in the building.

Recent photos and videos of the building showed exposed electricity cables, corroded water pipes and piles of garbage obstructing stairwells, according to the Times.

Multiple attempts to renovate the building failed in recent years.

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Structure fire kills at least 46 in southern Taiwan

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