A fire in the basement of a street shop in Xinyu City of Jiangxi Province has killed 39 people and injured nine, Chinese state media and the local government said on Wednesday, adding that some people were still trapped.
The fire broke out in the afternoon in an underground floor of the shop on Tiangongnan Avenue in the Yushui district, said the local fire response emergency headquarters, according to the China Daily media outlet.
The injured have been taken to hospital, a government statement said, without disclosing how many.
After the latest fire, China’s President Xi Jinping demanded that efforts be made to curb accidents and ensure people’s safety, according to Xinhua News.
Last week, a school dormitory fire killed 13 students in Central China’s Henan province. Seven staff members were taken into police custody over that incident.