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16 charred to death in shopping mall fire in southwest ChinaAt least 16 killed in shopping center fire in southwest China – EFE Noticias

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16 charred to death in shopping mall fire in southwest ChinaAt least 16 killed in shopping center fire in southwest China – EFE Noticias

Shanghai, China, July 18 (EFE).- At least 16 people died after a fire broke out in a department store in the city of Zigong, in central China, state media reported Thursday.

The fire broke out around 6 pm on Wednesday and preliminary investigations indicate that it was caused by construction work, Xinhua news agency reported.

The rescue operations ended around 3 am on Thursday after verifying that no one was trapped in the building.

By 10:30 pm on Wednesday, firefighters had managed to evacuate about 75 people from the shopping center.

Videos circulated by local media showed groups of people crowded on the building’s terrace, fleeing the intense column of smoke billowing around them.

A photo taken with a mobile phone shows rescuers working at the site of a department store fire in Zigong City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, 17 July 2024 (issued 18 July 2024). EFE-EPA/XINHUA/Wang Xi CHINA OUT/UK AND IRELAND OUT/MANDATORY CREDIT EDITORIAL USE ONLY

The 14-storey building is located in a high-tech zone of Zigong, considered the sixth most important city in Sichuan province and home to almost 1.3 million people.

A team of experts from the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Fire and Rescue Administration has been sent to the area to investigate the incident. EFE

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