Beijing, Nov 22: A massive fire at a commerce and trade company in central China’s Henan province has killed at least 38 people, local officials said on Tuesday.
It took firefighters more than four hours to douse the fire that broke out on Monday at the plant in the Wenfeng district of Anyang city in Henan province, according to the city’s publicity department.
Firefighters put out the fire at around 11 pm on Monday, it said.
Thirty-eight people were killed two injured persons were hospitalised, state-run CGTN reported on Tuesday.
Local fire teams sent 63 vehicles and 240 firefighters for the rescue. China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has also dispatched a team to the scene, the report said.
The local police have started an investigation into the incident. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Police have detained some suspects for investigation.
In August 2015, over 170 people were killed and 700 injured when blasts ripped through a warehouse in Tianjin Port, where large amounts of toxic chemicals were stored, including around 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide.
China suffers frequent deadly fires and industrial accidents often blamed on negligence. (PTI)