Beijing: Eight people were killed after a fire broke out Wednsday in a large shopping center in Zigong city in Sichuan Province, southwest China.
The city’s Fire and Rescue Center stated, in a statement, that a fire was reported in a 14-storey building, located in a high-tech area in the city, while columns of thick smoke rose at the scene.
The center indicated that 75 people who were trapped inside the building were evacuated. Rescue work is still underway. Fires and other fatal accidents are common in China due to sometimes lax enforcement of safety standards.
Last January, at least 39 people died in a store fire in central China. The fire broke out in the store’s basement when workers violated safety rules while working, according to authorities. In the same month, at least 15 people were killed in a fire in an apartment building.
Source: Qatar News Agency