According to the South China Morning Post and AP, initial investigation results showed that the fire originated from a spark from a construction site in the inpatient area of Changfeng Hospital, a private hospital in Fengtai District, Beijing, China.
Scene of hospital fire in Beijing - Clip: AP
Authorities received the alarm at 1 p.m. on April 18. The hospital fire was extinguished at 3:30 p.m. the same day (local time). 71 people were evacuated.
Hospital fire scene in Fengtai district, Beijing - Photo: AP
Twelve people including the hospital director and the construction company director have been detained by authorities.
The dead included 26 elderly patients, one nurse, one medical assistant and one guest, officials said at a news conference on the afternoon of April 19.
At least 39 people were also hospitalized with fire-related injuries, three of them in critical condition.
Reports from the scene said many patients and medical staff had to climb out of windows to escape, tying bed sheets together to climb down from upper floors.
Panoramic photo shows a section of the dormitory (top right) on fire - Photo: AP
The updated death toll makes it the deadliest building fire in the Chinese capital in at least two decades.
Previously, a fire in 2017 killed 19 people at a building in Beijing's Daxing district, which had many small apartments.
In 2002, a fire at an internet cafe in the city's university district killed 24 people and injured 13.
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