Fire leaves 46 dead, dozens injured in southern Taiwan

By HUIZHONG WU
Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Officials say the death toll from a fire in southern Taiwan that engulfed a building overnight has further risen to 46 people. Fire authorities Thursday said at least another 41 people were injured. The 13-story building caught fire around 3 a.m. Thursday, fire officials in the city of Kaohsiung said. A fire department statement said the blaze was “extremely fierce” and destroyed many floors. The building is about 40 years old with shops on the lower levels and apartments above. The lower floors were completely blackened.