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The blaze broke out in the basement of shops in the city of Xinyu, with several people injured and others still trapped.
Published On 24 Jan 2024
At least 39 people have been killed in a fire in China’s southeastern province of Jiangxi, according to government officials.
The blaze broke out on Wednesday in the basement of shops in the city of Xinyu. State broadcaster CCTV said nine people were injured and were taken to hospital while many others remained trapped.
CCTV video showed several fire trucks and other emergency response vehicles arriving on the scene as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.
More than 100 firefighters, police and local government officials were deployed.
The local government said a search and rescue operation was under way, and that the cause of the fire was under investigation.
This is the second fatal incident of fire in the country in less than a week, with at least 13 people killed last Saturday when a fire broke out in a school dormitory in the central Henan province.
In that blaze, the victims were third-grade elementary school students, many from rural areas.
The head of the school was taken into custody while authorities were investigating the cause of the fire.
Social media users in China expressed outrage over the incident, calling for those responsible to be punished.
Source
:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
