Report: Fire kills 9 people, injures 44 in southern Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A local news agency says nine people have been killed in a fire that engulfed a 13-story building overnight in southern Taiwan. The island’s semi-official Central News Agency reported the blaze also injured 44. The fire department in the city of Kaohsiung said firefighters were conducting search and rescue efforts Thursday morning. The fire department said the lower floors of the building were blackened and many floors were destroyed. The building had shops on the lower levels and residences above.