People Responsible for Cinema Fire in Central China SentencedThe 16 people responsible for the March 29 fire which killed 74 people in Jiaozuo City in central China's Henan Province were sentenced Friday to 2 years to life imprisonment.The Intermediate People's Court of Jiaozuo City sentenced to life imprisonment Han Benyu, the boss of the video parlor where the fire broke out, and Niu Yuwen for being responsible for the fire and illegally spreading pornographic products. Investigations show that the fire was caused by an overheated quartz heater in the Tiantang video parlor, and that the video parlor lacks necessary fire control facilities and has been opened without approval from the local fire control authorities. The predecessor of the video parlor is a food store under the city's vegetables and foodstuff company, which was in 1998 contracted to Han Benyu and transformed into a video parlor with two video halls and 28 VIP entertainment rooms. |
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