fire in a store kills at least 39 people, people still trapped

The exact number of people trapped in the rubble is not known.

At least 39 people were killed and nine injured on Wednesday January 24 in China in a fire at a store in Jiangxi province, in the center of the country, state media reported. The latter speak of an indeterminate number of people still trapped. The disaster broke out “in the basement of a store” in the town of Xinyu, CCTV said, without initially specifying the number of people trapped inside or the cause of the fire.

CCTV footage shows several fire trucks and emergency response vehicles at the scene. On social networks, we can see large clouds of smoke and residents, kept at a good distance from the fire, watching the emergency services take action.

Rescue operations still underway

“At present, search and rescue operations at the scene are still ongoing and the causes of the accident are also being investigated.”according to a press release from local authorities mentioned by the state newspaper Global Times. Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a call to order, “issuing important instructions requiring that the number of frequent accidents be resolutely limited” across the country, CCTV reported.

This disaster comes five days after a fire in a school in Henan province, in central China, which left 13 dead. No official explanation for the cause of the deadly fire has yet been provided, with some national media reports suggesting an electric heater caught fire.