Picture Courtesy: Getty Images

A fire in a 13 storey tower in Southern Taiwan killed at least 46 people and injured dozens more. A residential and commercial building in the city of Kaohsiung caught fire in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Fire-fighters took more than 4 hours to control the blaze. The Fire department informed that around 79 people were taken to the hospital, out of which two dozen are seriously injured. The cause of the fire is still not clear and is under investigation.

The Officials earlier warned that people may have been trapped in the residential part of the building, between the 7th and 11th floors. Residents who live near the building said that they heard a big bang just before the fire started.

One resident, while talking to Reuters said, "The power lines may have been outside... these past few days there have been 'boom' sounds from the power [lines]”.

According to reports, the building's lower section had once housed restaurants, karaoke bars, and a cinema, but these were reportedly no longer in use. Several residents in the block of about 120 apartments are thought to be old or to have disabilities.