At Least 22 Killed in Restaurant Fire in Northern China
A fire broke out during lunchtime on Tuesday in a restaurant in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 people, according to local authorities and state media reports.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to a notice on the Ministry of Emergency Management's website.
The restaurant owner has been taken into custody as part of the investigation, state media Xinhua reported, citing the provincial propaganda department.
The blaze erupted at around 12:25 p.m. local time in a restaurant located in the Baitai district of Shenyang, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
By 2 p.m. local time, three people had been confirmed injured, Xinhua reported.
The propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often tightly
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Resident Linda Zhang told The Epoch Times that the restaurant is popular among the locals.
Zhang, who uses a pseudonym due to fear of reprisal from the authorities, mentioned that the fire broke out at around lunchtime and heard that 'dozens of consumers and staff' were inside the restaurant at the time.
'The fire has been put out, but there are still people trapped inside,' Zhang said.
The incident occurred just days before the start of a week-long Labor Day holiday on Thursday, prompting the top-level CCP officials to intervene in the situation.
CCP leader Xi Jinping, who is visiting the financial hub of Shanghai on Tuesday, called the incident a 'deeply sobering lesson,' directing officials to swiftly investigate its cause.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang also urged local authorities to identify and address safety hazards across all sectors to avert major accidents ahead of the upcoming public holiday.
The fire was the latest in a spate of similar incidents across the country in recent years. In April, at least 20 people were killed in a fire that broke out in an apartment that housed a nursing home in the northern province of Hebei.
Gas leaks were responsible for two major explosions in residential areas last year. In March, a blast at a restaurant in Hebei resulted in the deaths of at least two people and injured 26 others. In September, an explosion in a high-rise building in southern Shenzhen Province killed at least one person.
Yi Ru and Reuters contributed to this report.
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