ZIGONG (Sundiata Post) – A fire broke out at a shopping mall in southwest China on Wednesday, killing sixteen people, according to Chinese official media.
Images showed a massive column of black smoke spewing from the 14-story skyscraper in Zigong, Sichuan province. Several others were also spotted gathered on a balcony.
The local fire department deployed about 300 emergency workers and dozens of vehicles to the area, rescuing approximately 30 people, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Preliminary investigations suggest the fire was caused by construction work, CCTV said, citing local authorities.
In a statement issued Thursday, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management encouraged rescue personnel and provincial officials to investigate the cause of the fire as quickly as possible and to learn from the experience to protect future security.
Such events are not uncommon in China, where safety rules are often not strictly enforced.
In January, a fire at a mixed-use building in southeast China killed at least 39 people, only days after another fire at a boarding school in central Henan province killed 13 students.
