Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Seven firemen injured in Jilin shopping mall fire
Seven firemen were injured in the shopping mall fire in northeast China's Jilin Province, bringing the injury toll to 77, the fire rescue headquarters announced here Monday.
Seven firemen were injured in the shopping mall fire in northeast China's Jilin Province, bringing the injury toll to 77, the fire rescue headquarters announced here Monday.
Of the seven, 22-year-old Sun Hongwei, who injured his lumbar area, is the most seriously hurt and is being treated in hospital, together with his six colleagues, who were either slightly injured or suffered from smoke inhalation.
The headquarters also announced the dead comprised 28 men and 25 women, and injured 40 men and 37 women, who were still being treated in three separate hospitals in Jilin City.
Most of the bodies had been identified, and the headquarters had published a list of 43 identified victims, most of whom were residents of the neighborhood of the shopping mall.
The fire, the worst accident in China this year, started at 11:20 a.m. on Sunday on the second floor of the Zhongbai Shopping Mall while many people were doing weekend shopping.
About 320 firefighters and 60 fire engines attended the blaze, which was extinguished at about 3:30 p.m. By 4:30 p.m., 120 people had been rescued.
A special investigation team headed by Sun Huashan, deputy director of the State Administration of Work Safety, arrived at the scene from Beijing Sunday night.
Preliminary investigations show the fire started in a temporary storehouse at the rear of the four-story building nears a boiler room.
Police have summoned 36 people, including the mall's security officers and a worker in the boiler room for questioning.
Jilin Governor Hong Hu said Monday that governments at all levels should learn from the accident and set up a special office to examine and supervise work safety and fire control.
He said Jilin would increase investment in the construction of fire control facilities and improve public awareness of fire risks.