At least 16 people were killed in a fire at a shopping mall in southwestern China on Wednesday. State television channel CCTV said 30 people were rescued.
Television footage showed thick black smoke rising from the 14-story building in the city of Zigong, Sichuan province. The fire broke out early in the evening in the lower part of the high-rise, the station also reported.
A fire broke out during construction work
The flames were extinguished around 20:20 CEST (14:20 local time). According to initial investigations, the fire in a shopping mall was caused by construction work in part of the building. Rescue work has now been completed. No people are trapped.
Cowardly safety regulations
Fires and other fatalities are common in China due to lax safety regulations. In January, dozens of people died in a fire at a store in the central Chinese city of Xinyu in Jiangxi province. The fire was caused by an “illegal” fire set by workers in the basement of the store.
A few days earlier, thirteen schoolchildren died in a dormitory fire in the central Chinese province of Henan.
Source: Krone
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