On Thursday's Backchat, we started with the latest on the ferocious fire that has ravaged a housing estate in Tai Po. Hundreds of firefighters are still battling the blaze which engulfed multiple residential blocks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po since yesterday afternoon.

Emergency services confirmed 44 people have died and dozens more are hospitalised so far.

The entire estate is undergoing renovation works, and police have launched a criminal investigation into the cause of the fire - three people from a construction company have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

After the break, we chatted with a professor from University of Hong Kong to learn more about a novel new way to treat anxiety using artificial intelligence.

And to wrap it all up, we learnt more about this year's Cantonese Opera Day that is going to take place at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre this coming Sunday.

9:05am-9:15am: Live report on Tai Po blaze

Speaker:

Wendy Wong, RTHK reporter

9:15am-9:30am: Hong Kong Red Cross local disaster relief work

Speaker:

Terry Wong, Manager of Hong Kong Red Cross’s Local Disaster Relief Team

9:32am-9:52am: New AI-backed social anxiety treatment

Speaker:

Professor Benjamin Becker, Department of Psychology, University of Hong Kong, and Lead Researcher

9:52am-10:00am: Cantonese Opera Day 2025

Speaker:

Queenie Wong, Manager (Chinese Opera) at Leisure and Cultural Services Department