The death toll in the shopping mall fire in China has risen to 16.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the rescue operation concluded at around 3:00 AM on July 18th.

Smoke blanketed a shopping center in Zigong city, Sichuan province, China, on July 17. Photo: Reuters

A video broadcast by Chinese state television CCTV and shared on social media on the evening of July 17 showed thick black smoke billowing from a 14-story building in Zigong, Sichuan province. The fire originated in a shopping mall at the base of the building.

Approximately 30 people were rescued from the complex, and rescue workers extinguished the fire at around 8:20 p.m. on July 17, according to CCTV.

According to Xinhua News Agency, as of 3:00 AM on July 18th, the death toll had risen to 16 people, and no one was trapped inside.

Television stations reported that the Zigong Fire Department received news of the fire at around 6:10 p.m. and immediately dispatched firefighters to extinguish the blaze. The emergency services urged residents "not to believe or exaggerate rumors" about the fire.

Zigong, located about 1,900 km from the capital Beijing, is home to nearly 2.5 million people.

Earlier in January, dozens were killed after a fire broke out at a store in Xinyu city, central China. Xinhua news agency reported that the fire was caused by workers using fire "illegally" in the store's basement.

That same month, a fire at an apartment building killed at least 15 people. This fire occurred just days after a late-night fire at a school in Henan province, central China, that killed 13 students who were sleeping in their dormitories.

Ngoc Anh (according to Xinhua News Agency, AFP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/so-nguoi-thiet-mang-trong-vu-chay-trung-tam-mua-sam-o-trung-quoc-tang-len-16-post303976.html