“Fire at Hostel in Wellington, New Zealand Leaves Six Dead and Several Missing”

At least six people have died in a fire at a hostel in New Zealand’s capital Wellington, with several people still missing.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins spoke on the morning program AM about the fire and the victims and expects the death toll to rise. “It is an absolute tragedy for Wellington. It is not yet clear how many people were in the building when the fire broke out.”

Just after midnight local time, the emergency services turned out en masse to the fire in the four-story building. Dozens of people were rescued from the hostel.

The fire broke out in the Loafers Lodge hostel in Wellington, which has more than ninety rooms.