Major fire in China, nearly 60 casualties

At least 15 people were killed and 44 injured in a fire that broke out on February 23 at a residential building in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, eastern China.

A fire was reported from a residential building in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing. Photo: Shutterstock

On February 24, China Daily reported that the city government confirmed that in the early morning of February 23, the fire department received an emergency call reporting a fire at the aforementioned residential building in Wuhuatai District.

Firefighters extinguished the fire at around 6am. Search and rescue operations at the scene were carried out afterwards and concluded at 2pm the same day. 44 injured people were taken to hospital. Preliminary investigation results show that the fire broke out on the first floor of the building, where the electric bicycles were located. Authorities are currently expanding the investigation into the cause of the fire.

China has seen a series of deadly fires in recent months. Last month, a late-night fire at a school in central China's Henan province killed 13 students aged 9 and 10 who were sleeping in a dormitory.

State media reported that the fire was caused by an electric heater. Earlier, an explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the northwest killed 31 people and prompted the government to make formal promises about a nationwide campaign to promote workplace safety.

KHANH HUNG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/chay-lon-o-trung-quoc-gan-60-nguoi-thuong-vong-post727923.html