The death toll from a hospital fire in China’s capital Beijing has risen to 29.
A fire broke out at Chengfeng Hospital in Beijing’s Fengtai District on Tuesday at 1:00 PM and was extinguished half an hour later.
Li Zongrong, the deputy mayor of the district, announced the increase in the death toll in a press conference and expressed deep sorrow and regret over the incident.
Sun Heitao of the Beijing Public Security Bureau said 12 people, including the hospital’s director, have been detained for investigation into the fire, and representatives of the hospital’s renovation company have also been arrested.
According to the state broadcaster CCTV, preliminary investigations have revealed that the fire was caused by arson during renovation and construction work at the hospital.
The dead include 16 women and 13 men.
On behalf of the Fengtai District Party Committee and the district government, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the victims and apologize to the people of the entire city out of respect for the families of the victims, the injured and their relatives.
According to CCTV, out of 29 dead, 26 were patients under treatment at the hospital, two persons belonged to the hospital staff while one deceased person belonged to the patient’s family.
CCTV said there are still 78 patients under treatment at the hospital, who have been shifted to the western building.
The state-run People’s Daily reported that as of Wednesday morning, 39 people were hospitalized with injuries and three had been discharged.
According to the Beijing Daily, top city officials visited the hospital shortly after the fire, with Beijing Party Secretary Yin Li vowing to quickly find out the cause of the accident and bring those responsible to justice.
China Youth Daily said in a report on Wednesday that many family members had lost contact with the patients, with most of the missing being elderly people with walking difficulties.
A police officer at the scene on Wednesday told AFP that the city would probably make appropriate arrangements to care for the victims’ families.
Beijing Chengfeng Hospital is located in the capital’s western urban area, about 25 minutes by car from Tiananmen Square.
Fires continue to occur in China due to poor safety standards and carelessness.
In November, ten people died in an apartment fire in northwestern Xinjiang.
Also in November, a factory fire in central China killed 38 people, with authorities blaming workers for illegal welding.
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2024-08-22 07:10:08
