'I have lost everything,' says father of woman missing after Old Montreal fire

Last week, An Wu attended a conference in Montreal and decided to stay an extra day to tour the city.

Wu rented an Airbnb unit in Old Montreal, and the last time her loved ones heard from her was on Wednesday night, according to her friend, Pantong Yao.

"We cannot find her," Yao told CBC News in a video call.

And Yao is not alone. Zafar Mahmood, speaking to CBC news from Pakistan, said his daughter, Dania Zafar, is missing as well.

"She has been very close to me. For me, this is the end of the world. I have lost everything."

Wu and Zafar are among those missing after a fire ripped through a heritage building in Old Montreal early Thursday morning.

The fire started around 5:30 a.m. Witnesses reported a horrific scene, with people calling for help from windows, and at least one person leaping from the burning building, located near the corner of Place d'Youville and St-Nicolas Street.

Nine people, three of whom had serious injuries, were transported to the hospital. The body of one unidentified woman was recovered Sunday from the rubble of the multi-unit building. Six others are still missing.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has called on the Quebec government and Airbnb to work more closely with the municipality to crack down on illegal short-term rentals. Meanwhile, victims' families are left with questions.

Jill Zhu said Wu's family has asked Airbnb to provide more information about the rental agreement and the listing. Airbnb told the family that the information will instead be provided only to police, Zhu said.

She said they are wondering if there were proper windows in each unit, carbon monoxide detectors, a safe evacuation route and a working fire alarm that could have woken sleeping guests before the flames consumed the building.

Wu is a Chinese national who has been living and studying in the United States, completing her postdoctoral training in neuroscience, Yao said. Her friends and family have been doing everything they can to find her, holding onto a fading hope that she is still alive.

"At the very beginning, we thought she was missing. So we reached out to local people to ask them to help us find her," said Yao.

Someone even went from hospital to hospital in Montreal checking, but "it's hopeless," he said.