As of early Thursday morning, at least 44 people have been killed and 45 seriously injured after a ferocious blaze ravaged a housing estate in Tai Po neighborhood, China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), on Wednesday.

HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said on Thursday that the fire has been gradually brought under control after firefighters' painstaking efforts.

"I have instructed the Fire Services Department to mobilize all resources and manpower to extinguish the fire as fast as possible," Lee said, adding that he has deployed all possible forces to carry out comprehensive work, including extinguishing the fire, rescuing trapped residents, treating the injured, providing assistance and emotional support to families, and conducting a full investigation into the accident.