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A fire at a care home in central China has left 38 people dead and six injured.
The fire broke out at about 7.30 pm on Monday at the privately-owned Kangleyuan Rest Home in Lushan County, Pingdingshan, the state-run news agency Xinhua said.
More than 50 elderly people were inside the building in Henan province when the blaze started.
One man at the scene told Henan TV there may have been dozens of elderly people trapped in rooms when the fire began.
Pictures posted online showed a thick column of black smoke rising from behind a petrol station near the home.
The cause of the fire remains unclear.
Two of the injured were in a critical condition in hospital, according to the work safety bureau in Henan province.
Four others suffered minor injuries. They have all been taken to hospital for treatment.
President Xi Jinping has instructed the authorities in Henan to treat the injured, take care of the families of the victims and identify the cause of the accident.
Premier Li Keqiang also called for a comprehensive investigation into the fire.
Industrial accidents and fires are common in China, where enforcement of safety standards can be lax, with some property and business owners paying off corrupt officials to look the other way.
A nine-year-old boy was detained in February after a shopping mall inferno killed 17 people in Huidong in Guangdong province.
Police said the blaze was caused by a boy playing with fire at the mall.
A fire at a poultry plant in the northeast of the country killed 119 people two years ago.
Reports at the time said that managers had locked doors inside the factory to prevent workers from going to the toilet, leading to the high number killed.
A firefighter removes debris at the scene of the blaze in Pingdingshan. Photo: Reuters
The fire broke out at about 7.30 pm on Monday at the privately-owned Kangleyuan Rest Home in Lushan County, Pingdingshan, the state-run news agency Xinhua said.
More than 50 elderly people were inside the building in Henan province when the blaze started.
One man at the scene told Henan TV there may have been dozens of elderly people trapped in rooms when the fire began.
Pictures posted online showed a thick column of black smoke rising from behind a petrol station near the home.
The cause of the fire remains unclear.
Two of the injured were in a critical condition in hospital, according to the work safety bureau in Henan province.
Four others suffered minor injuries. They have all been taken to hospital for treatment.
President Xi Jinping has instructed the authorities in Henan to treat the injured, take care of the families of the victims and identify the cause of the accident.
Premier Li Keqiang also called for a comprehensive investigation into the fire.
Industrial accidents and fires are common in China, where enforcement of safety standards can be lax, with some property and business owners paying off corrupt officials to look the other way.
A nine-year-old boy was detained in February after a shopping mall inferno killed 17 people in Huidong in Guangdong province.
Police said the blaze was caused by a boy playing with fire at the mall.
A fire at a poultry plant in the northeast of the country killed 119 people two years ago.
Reports at the time said that managers had locked doors inside the factory to prevent workers from going to the toilet, leading to the high number killed.
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