Six Dead in China Mall Fire, Multiple Trapped as Rescue Efforts Continue
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AT LEAST SIX PEOPLE HAVE died and an undetermined number remain trapped as a fire raged through a mall in Zigong, China this Wednesday.
The blaze broke out in a shopping center located in a 14-storey building and was extinguished at 8:20 p.m. GMT. Rescuers had managed to rescue 30 people from the scene but were still searching for those still trapped.
Details of the Disaster
The fire occurred in a shopping center at the foot of a 14-storey building in Zigong, a city of 2.4 million inhabitants, 1,600 km from the capital Beijing, in the southwestern province of Sichuan. The city’s emergency services were alerted at 6:11 p.m. local time and immediately sent firefighters to put out the blaze.
Rescue Efforts Continues
Rescue teams are continuing to work to bring the situation under control and locate those still trapped. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for lessons to be learned from the tragedy to avoid further occurrences.
Fire Safety Concerns in China
Fires and other fatal accidents are common in China due to sometimes lax enforcement of safety regulations. This tragedy is the latest in a series of incidents, including a fatal fire in a shop in central Spain in January which killed at least 39 people.