MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2023) The New Zealand police is considering the possibility of arson regarding the fire that happened earlier in the week in the Loafers Lodge hostel in the country's capital of Wellington, the local police chief said on Wednesday.
"The scene examination will be extensive and methodical ... I can confirm that we are treating the fire as arson," Wellington Police Acting District Commander Dion Bennett told a briefing.
The examination of the site and the search for victims may take several days due to the size of the hostel, Bennett said. The police plan to question several people who could have been involved in the arson.
Earlier, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said that at least six people died after a major fire broke out inside a three-story hostel in Wellington on Tuesday. Local newspapers reported that the fire killed around 10 people.
