Nearly 300 pets have been rescued from the deadly inferno that engulfed a Hong Kong housing estate last week, including fish, parrots and turtles, with a charity leader saying the recovery efforts have “strengthened her belief in humanity”.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a social media post that as of 8pm on Wednesday, 364 animals had been found since the fire, including 294 rescued alive and 70 discovered dead.
A total of 173 pets remained missing, bringing the estimated number of affected animals to at least 537, according to the SPCA’s data, which combined information received from the Fire Services Department and various volunteers and groups.
The latest update included fish and pet crabs rescued over the past two days, as well as one deceased cat.
Police on Thursday said that 104 officers had been deployed to search 78 flats at Wang Fuk Court for any surviving animals that might be trapped.
After rescuing three cats, two turtles and several pet fish earlier, officers on the eighth day after the blaze found two more cats, four turtles, one lizard and more than 80 pet fish in various parts of the building.
