BBC News Top Stories-World China 13 dead after school dormitory fire in Henan province
January 20, 2024 2 min 222 words
这起河南省学校宿舍火灾事件令人痛心。十三名无辜生命在这场可怕的火灾中失去了。报道提到学校经营者已被拘留，这表明可能存在管理和安全方面的问题。中国的建筑和安全标准执法一直受到质疑，这次火灾再次凸显了这个问题。去年十一月的山西省吕梁市办公楼火灾，造成26人丧生，仍然历历在目。此次事件也需要引起对中国各地学校和建筑安全的关切。我们期待相关调查能够揭示火灾原因，以确保这类悲剧不再发生，同时希望中国能够加强对建筑和学校安全标准的监管力度，以保障人民的生命安全。
Thirteen people have died after a fire broke out in a school dormitory in central China, the country's Xinhua state news agency reported.
The deadly blaze happened on Friday night at a school for young children in Yanshanpu village, Henan province.
The privately-run school caters for nursery and primary age pupils, according to China Daily.
The manager of the school, near Nanyang city, has been detained and an investigation is under way.
One other person is being treated in hospital and is in a stable condition.
No further details about the identities of the dead or the cause of the fire were released via official channels. It was extinguished less than an hour after firefighters were alerted, Xinhua reported.
Fatal fires in China are not uncommon due to lax enforcement of building and safety standards.
In November, 26 people died after a large fire ripped through an office building in Luliang City, Shanxi province.
A hospital fire in Beijing last April claimed the lives of at least 29 people - mostly patients - and triggered an investigation which saw 12 people detained by police for questioning.
Harrowing footage of the fire showed people climbing out of windows onto air conditioning units to escape the flames.