According to reports from Chinese state media, a total of thirteen students were killed in a fire that erupted in dormitories at an elementary school located in central Henan province.
According to a teacher at the school who spoke to the state-run Hebei Daily, all of the victims were students in the same third-grade class, aged nine and ten.
According to China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, a person who was rescued from the scene is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.
According to CCTV, a fire broke out in the rural Fangcheng district on Friday night and was extinguished shortly before midnight. The proprietor of the boarding school was taken into custody.
According to Agence-France Presse, the vicinity of the school was blocked off on Saturday evening and was being monitored by a team of over twelve law enforcement officers.
The owner of a grocery store stated that she was sleeping when the fire broke out, but had been informed about the unfortunate event.
“The majority of students attending the school reside in this vicinity,” she stated, clarifying, “Since our own children do not attend, we are not fully informed about the specifics.”
Other merchants in the vicinity reported that they had also retired for the night before the fire started.
According to multiple individuals, the newspaper reported that the school grants students, many of whom reside in rural regions, a biweekly recess. However, this weekend was not designated as a break period.
The school, located in Dushu, mainly serves elementary students, with a kindergarten attached, as stated on the school’s WeChat page.
Fires and other deadly accidents are common in China. In November, 26 people died and dozens were sent to hospital after a fire at a coal company office in northern China’s Shanxi province.
In July of last year, 11 individuals lost their lives when the roof of a school sports facility collapsed in the northeastern region. The previous month, 31 people were killed in an explosion at a northwestern barbecue restaurant.
In April of last year, a fire at a hospital in Beijing resulted in the deaths of 29 individuals and caused those who survived to resort to jumping out of windows in order to escape.
Source: theguardian.com
