New Zealand police have launched a homicide inquiry into a hostel fire in Wellington which has killed at least six people.
Officials confirmed they were treating the blaze as an act of arson, and said up to 20 people were still missing.
Investigators were delayed until Wednesday from fully scouting the building due to the fire’s damage.
Police had said they could not be specific on the number of deaths until they could gain full access.
On Wednesday, a reconnaissance search team was sent in. Firefighters had found six bodies on Tuesday.
Police have not disclosed the identities of the dead or those missing – some of whom might be unaccounted for due to other reasons, they said.
The blaze broke out on Monday at the four-storey Loafers Lodge hostel in the capital just after midnight local time (12:30 GMT Monday).
Residents were forced to crawl through smoke to safety, while others were rescued from the roof by firefighters.
On Wednesday, Wellington Police confirmed they were treating the fire as a criminal matter.
“I can confirm that we are treating the fire as arson,” said Acting Wellington District Commander Dion Bennett said.
“This scene examination will be an extensive and methodical process, and we expect it to take some time – likely several days.”
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has called the fire “an absolute tragedy” while fire authorities had described the blaze as the capital city’s “worst nightmare”.
Loafers Lodge Hostel offered 92 rooms in total and catered to both short and long-term guests.
It was designated by New Zealand’s Ministry of Social Development in 2011 as an emergency accommodation provider. Official figures show that more than 3,300 households currently live in emergency housing as of February.
Its customers ranged from shift workers like nurses and hospital staff to unemployed and homeless people, local media reported.
Source: bbcnews
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