NEWS- Local Authorities in Nanjing City in China have confirmed that at least 15 people have been killed and 44 injured in a fire at a residential building in Eastern China where the fire broke out early yesterday morning with a preliminary investigation suggesting the blaze started on the building’s first floor, where electric bicycles had been placed.
The building is located in the Yuhuatai district of Nanjing, a city of more than 8 million that lies about 260 kilometers Northwest of Shanghai, but the Police managed to extinguish it as search and rescue operation started.
Video footage that circulated on Chinese social networks showed a skyscraper on fire in the middle of the night, with black smoke pouring from it and other images show gigantic flames consuming several floors of the building and the flashing lights of emergency vehicles are visible nearby in the dark and apparently pictures taken later, showed white smoke pouring out of several points in the building.
Authorities indicated that the 44 injured people were sent to hospitals for treatment and one was in critical condition while another was seriously injured and there is fear that death toll may rise and the Nanjing City Mayor, Chen Zhichang, has offered his condolences and apologies to the victims’ families.
China has seen a spate of deadly fires in recent months, often caused by official negligence, prompting calls from President Xi Jinping for deep reflection and greater efforts to curb the frequent occurrence of safety accidents.
President Xi Jinping noted that fires and other deadly accidents are common in China due to lax safety standards and poor enforcement.
It should be remembered that in January this year, dozens died after a fire broke out at a store in the Central City of Xinyu, where it was reported that the fire had been caused by the “illegal” use of fire by workers in the store’s basement.
That fire came just days after a late-evening blaze at a school in Central China’s Henan Province that killed 13 schoolchildren as they slept in a dormitory and reports suggested the fire was caused by an electric heating device.
In November 2023, 26 people were killed and dozens sent to hospitals after a fire at a coal company office in northern China’s Shanxi Province and during the month before, an explosion at a Barbecue Restaurant in the Northwest of the country left 31 dead and prompted official pledges of 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.
Additional Reporting by Associated Press
