Fire at New Zealand hostel kills at least 6 people, prime minister says
Wellington (AP): A fire ripped through a hostel in New Zealand's capital overnight, killing at least six people and forcing others to flee the four-story building in their pajamas in what a fire chief on Tuesday called his "worst nightmare".
Fifty-two people in the Loafers Lodge hostel in Wellington had been accounted for, but firefighters were still looking for others, said Wellington Fire and Emergency District Manager Nick Pyatt. He said they were called to the hostel at about 12:30 am.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told the AM morning news programme that he understood that six people were confirmed dead and the number of fatalities would likely rise. Police said they did not have an exact count of the number of dead, although they believe the total number of fatalities was less than 10.
Hipkins said the building was not currently safe for police to enter and it could take authorities some time to confirm the number of dead.
"It is an absolute tragedy. It is a horrific situation," the prime minister told reporters. "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 clearly has to be on dealing with the situation."
Responding to comments from emergency officials that the building had no fire sprinklers, Hipkins said it was not currently a requirement of New Zealand's building code for older buildings to be retrofitted with sprinkler systems.
Pyatt, the fire chief, said his thoughts were with the families of those who had perished and with the crews who had rescued those they could and tried to rescue those they could not.
"This is our worst nightmare," Pyatt said. "It does not get worse than this."
Police said the cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said city officials were helping about 50 people who escaped the fire and were at an emergency centre the council set up at a local running track that had showers and other facilities.
He said a number of elderly people had escaped the building with only the pajamas they were wearing.
"A lot are clearly shaken and bewildered about what happened," he said.
The hostel provided a combination of short-term and long-term rentals, MacLean said. He did not have all the details, he said, but he believed it was used by various government agencies to provide clients with needed accommodation.
Health authorities said two people who were in the building were being treated at hospitals and both were in a stable condition. Three others had been treated and discharged, while a sixth patient had chosen to leave before getting treatment.
Loafers Lodge advertises itself as an affordable place for people to stay while they are in the capital, whether on business or needing to visit the nearby Wellington Hospital. It has 92 rooms and promotes them as being available long term.
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PM Modi speaks to Iranian president, discusses 'serious' situation in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.
Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.
“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.
Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.
