China investigates school fire that killed 13

The fire broke out at Yingcai School in Yanshanpu Village, reported to the local fire department at 11 p.m. local time on Friday and was extinguished about 40 minutes later, Xinhua said. Thirteen students were killed in the accident, while another was injured.

Thirteen students were killed in a fire at Yingcai School in Yanshanpu Village, while another was injured. Photo: AFP

Dozens of police were present in and around the cordoned-off area near the school on Sunday. "There is an ongoing investigation inside. No one can go inside," an official at the scene told AFP.

In a video shared Sunday on Chinese social media site Weibo, a man surnamed Fan - the father of a victim who died in the fire - said authorities had taken blood samples from the parents to compare their DNA with the victims.

“We still haven't seen our child… We will only see him when the results come out,” Fan said.

A teacher at the school told the Hebei Daily that all the victims were in the same third grade class, aged 9 and 10.

Xinhua reported on Saturday that authorities in the area were investigating the cause of the fire and at least one person connected to the school had been arrested.

There has been no official explanation as to the exact cause of the deadly fire, although some domestic media outlets have suggested it was related to an electric heater.

Yanshanpu Village is located on the outskirts of Nanyang, a city of nearly 10 million people, about 850 kilometers west of Shanghai.

Nanyang Radio and Television reported on Sunday that local officials held a meeting on Saturday to discuss follow-up work after the deadly fire and improve safety measures in the future.

In November 2023, 26 people were killed and dozens were hospitalized after a fire at a coal company office in Shanxi province, northern China.

A month ago, an explosion at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China killed 31 people and prompted the government to make formal pledges for a nationwide campaign to promote workplace safety.

In April 2023, a hospital fire in Beijing killed 29 people and forced desperate survivors to jump out of windows to escape.

Mai Van (according to Xinhua News Agency, AFP, CNA)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/trung-quoc-dieu-tra-vu-chay-truong-hoc-khien-13-nguoi-thiet-mang-post281868.html