A hostel fire in New Zealand’s capital city Wellington has claimed as many as 10 lives, with several people still unaccounted for.
The blaze broke out overnight in the 92-room, four-storey Loafers Lodge, police said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he understood as many as 10 people had been killed.
“In the fullness of time of course there will be a number of investigations about what has happened and why it happened, but for now the focus needs to be on dealing with the situation,” Hipkins said. “I am sure there will be things that will need to be followed up.”
Work is underway to establish who was staying in the hostel in the suburb of Newtown, not far from central Wellington. During the blaze, 29 fire crews attended and five people were rescued from the roof of the building using specialist equipment.
Fire and Emergency Deputy National Commander Brendan Nally told Radio New Zealand that 11 people remain unaccounted for. He said there would normally be around 100 people staying in the hostel.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson, the member of parliament for Wellington central, said some of the people staying in the hostel are vulnerable, don’t have a permanent home and have lost everything in the fire.
