Mum and baby fire plea sent to woman in Manchester

As many as 128 people are known to have died after a fire at Wang Fuk apartment complex in Hong Kong

A woman in Manchester said she received pleas for help from a mum who was stuck in a Hong Kong flat fire with her newborn baby.

At least 128 people have died after the fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on Wednesday and hundreds of people remain unaccounted for.

The cause of the fire remains unclear though officials said that polystyrene and protective netting placed on the outside of the windows facilitated its spread.

Cherry moved to Manchester three years ago but she grew up in the complex and is still on a residents' group chat where she saw the pleas for help.

'Save us'

Cherry said she did not sleep on Wednesday night.

"I felt really really sad because I knew I couldn't do anything," she said. "I was seeing messages from people still in the fire asking for help, pleading to be saved.

"What I most strongly remember was a mother - she was in the fire with her three-month-old baby, messaging for help. She told us the address and said 'please help to save us'.

"A lot of people downstairs were writing support to her, telling her how to keep stable and calm until the firemen came."

Cherry told Radio Manchester that the mother and baby were rescued and were safe and well.

"They are in hospital for monitoring," she said.

But Cherry said they were not the only residents who were trapped like this.

Maintenance work was under way at the apartment complex when fire broke out

Cherry said she believed ongoing maintenance work, flammable materials and a lack of working fire alarms were responsible for the scale of the tragedy.

"There is green mesh outside the building because of the maintenance work," she said.

"However in Hong Kong there is no understanding that this mesh needed to be fire resistant.

"The residents say they have tested the mesh nets and found out that the material was not fire resistant and they are angry.

"They are thinking about how they pay so much money but didn't get what they needed, didn't get anything to protect their lives."

Authorities are investigating the incident.

"It is too late now," said Cherry.

"I think what we should be doing is looking at how to prevent this happening again for a second time," she added.

Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of corruption over the renovation work at the complex.

Three others were also detained earlier on manslaughter charges.