Firefighters extracted six bodies from a shopping mall on Wednesday, with an unknown number still trapped after the building caught fire, sending plumes of thick black smoke into the air.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, around 30 others were rescued from the shopping complex in Zigong, southwestern Sichuan province, after rescuers extinguished the blaze.
Six people have been killed, according to CCTV, and search and rescue operations are still underway for those who remain trapped. The channel broadcast footage and shared it on social media, showing thick black smoke towering above the building. The fire broke out in the early evening in a shopping centre at the base of a 14-story building, according to the channel.
Other images posted on social media, which AFP could not immediately verify, show people gathered in front of the burning building. Fire engines and ambulances could be seen nearby. The broadcaster reported that at around 6.10 p.m., Zhongng’s emergency services department received word of the fire and immediately dispatched firefighters to extinguish it. Fires and other fatal accidents are common in China, owing to lax safety standards and poor enforcement.
In January, dozens died when a fire broke out at a store in the central city of Xinyu, according to state news agency Xinhua. The blaze was caused by workers in the store’s basement using fire in a “illegal” manner.
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