The fire broke out on Tuesday night, local time, at a hostel in a multi-storey building in Wellington. At least six people have died, The New Zealand Herald reports. However, Prime Minister Chris Hipkin fears that the death toll could rise.
A total of 52 people have been rescued from the building, according to rescue leader Nick Pyatt. The hostel is said to have had a capacity of 92 guests, but it is unclear how many were in the building when the fire broke out.
– This is our worst nightmare. It doesn’t get any worse than this, says Nick Pyatt.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently has no information on whether Swedes have lived in the hostel.
The text is updated.