China: Factory fire kills at least 36

Anyang, Nov 22: A fire at a factory in Anyang, China, has left at least 36 people dead and two more missing, authorities said on Tuesday.

State media reported that the fire broke out on Monday afternoon and took several hours to extinguish.

It was initially unclear what had caused the blaze in China's central Henan province.

Authorities said "criminal suspects" had been taken into custody in connection with the fire, but did not provide further details.

Emergency services at the scene

More than 200 search rescue workers and 60 firefighters responded at the scene, according to state media.

"After receiving the alarm, the municipal fire rescue detachment immediately dispatched forces to the scene," state broadcaster CCTV reported.

"Public security, emergency response, municipal administration, and power supply units rushed to the scene at the same time to carry out emergency handling and rescue work."

The fire is a reminder of industrial accidents in recent years. In March 2019, an explosion at a chemical factory in Yancheng killed 78 people and devastated homes in a radius of several kilometers.

Before that, in 2015, a giant explosion at a chemical warehouse in Tianjin killed 165 people, in one of China's worst-ever industrial disasters.

Source: DW