Symbolic imageFire in Taiyuan high-rise kills 14
A fire in a 40-storey residential building in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, has killed 14 people, Xinhua reported on Monday.
The blaze started on Sunday night, 8 November, in a building on an avenue in the city centre. Video verified by Reuters shows dense smoke over the tower and firefighters on cranes fighting flames that spread from its central section. According to Chinese authorities, the fire was put out after about two hours and rescue operations ended at 20:30. That night 38 people were taken to hospital and five of them died, state media reported, and the toll had reached 14 by Monday morning. Xinhua said 25 people remained hospitalised, nine of them seriously injured.
Mixed-use tower, cause unknown
According to the South China Morning Post, the building in Yingze district housed flats, a hotel and children's education centres. The district government said all-out efforts were under way to treat the injured and that the cause of the fire remains under investigation.