Fire at shopping centre in China's southwest kills 16
Smoke billows into the sky as fire engulfs a shopping centre, in the city of Zigong, Sichuan, China, July 17, 2024 in this screengrab taken from a social media video. - via Reuters
BEIJING: Sixteen people were killed in a fire at a department store in Sichuan province in China's southwest on Wednesday evening, state media said on Thursday.
The fire broke out in a 14-storey building in a high-tech zone of the city of Zigong, shrouding the vicinity with thick smoke, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Overnight rescue work ended at 3:00 a.m. (1900 GMT on Wednesday), state broadcaster CCTV said.
Preliminary investigation showed the fire was due to construction operations. Further investigation was underway to identify the specific cause of the fire.
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