© APFlames engulf the residential tower in Kaohsiung, in southern Taiwan.
The "extremely fierce" blaze erupted at around 3am and destroyed several floors of the tower in the city of Kaohsiung.
The fire was extinguished around dawn and firefighters were still going through the building, Kaohsiung fire chief Lee Ching-hsiu said, adding that the number of dead could rise.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire, including whether it was started deliberately.
Earlier, officials said 55 people had been taken to hospital. Of those, 14 showed no signs of life.
At least 11 people found at the scene went straight to the morgue, the head of the fire department said.
Eyewitnesses told local media they heard the sound of an explosion at around 3am.
Reader Comments
Chinese nationalism is on the rise and Taiwan is a focal point for many Chinese, but the greatest focus right now is placed on the U.S. and its arming of, and stationing troops in Taiwan .
A block-buster movie has just been released in China and it has apparently drawn the largest crowds of any film release in recent memory. It is a film about how Chinese soldiers beat back Americans during the Korean War, which is technically still on.
Something is about to happen.
If you checked those links above, you will be hard pressed to find an article on Taiwan, never mind two front page stories. Chinese media has suddenly put out of public view those stories and op-ed's.