Tragedy is the deadliest in the Chinese capital since a June 2002 fire at an internet cafe killed 25 students
\n BEIJING
\nChinese authorities said on Wednesday they had detained a dozen people over a hospital fire in Beijing that left at least 29 dead and forced desperate survivors to jump out of windows to escape.
\nThe blaze, which broke out on Tuesday afternoon at the Changfeng Hospital in China\u2019s capital, killed mostly patients, and left scores of other people injured.
\nDramatic footage posted to social media showed people clinging to ropes and jumping from the building, while others perched on external air conditioning units in a desperate bid to shelter from the flames.
\nThe Fengtai district\u2019s deputy mayor expressed his \u201cdeep condolences\u201d over the deaths of the 16 women and 13 men killed in the inferno, the deadliest in Beijing in over two decades.
\n\u201cWe feel deep remorse and guilt,\u201d Li Zongrong told journalists as he announced the toll at a press conference on Wednesday.
\n\u201cI hereby express our deep condolences for the victims, and express our sincere respects to the victims\u2019 families, the injured and their relatives, and apologise to the people of the whole city,\u201d he said.
\nTwelve people, including the hospital\u2019s director, have been detained in connection with the fire, said Sun Haitao from Beijing\u2019s public security bureau, adding that representatives from a company renovating the facility were among those being held.
\nA preliminary probe revealed the blaze had been caused by \u201csparks generated during the internal renovation and construction of the inpatient department of the hospital\u201d, according to Zhao Yang from the city fire brigade.
\nThe sparks \u201cignited the volatile elements of the flammable paint on the site\u201d, Zhao said.
\n39 hospitalised
\nState broadcaster CCTV reported that out of the dead, 26 were patients at the hospital, two were hospital staff, and one was a patient\u2019s family member.
\nState-run People\u2019s Daily reported that as of Wednesday morning 39 people were being treated in hospital with injuries, and another three had been discharged.
\nTop city officials visited the hospital shortly after the fire, which broke out at around 1:00 pm on Tuesday and was extinguished half an hour later.
\nBeijing party secretary Yin Li vowed to \u201cquickly identify the cause of the accident and hold the relevant responsible persons accountable\u201d, according to the Beijing Daily.
\nAFP journalists on Wednesday saw dozens of people outside the entrance to the hospital, where a large number of police officers were stationed.
\nSome of the hospital\u2019s windows appeared blackened and at least one was broken.
\nThe facade of one of the hospital buildings was completely blackened by soot.
\nAFP journalists saw people who appeared to be investigators taking photos from inside the blackened building, with the interior visibly damaged by the flames.
\nMany family members lost contact with patients in the aftermath of the disaster, the China Youth Daily said in a separate report on Wednesday, adding that many of them were elderly people with mobility problems.
\nA police officer on the scene on Wednesday told AFP the city \u201cwill probably make the appropriate arrangements\u201d to take care of victims\u2019 relatives.
\nDeadly fires are common in China due to weak safety standards and lax enforcement.
\nTuesday\u2019s tragedy was the deadliest in the Chinese capital since a June 2002 fire at an internet cafe killed 25 students.
\nTen people died in an apartment block blaze in northwestern Xinjiang in November, sparking protests against Covid-19 lockdowns blamed for hindering rescue efforts.
\nAnd 38 people were killed in a fire at a factory in central China, also in November, with authorities blaming workers for illegal welding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tragedy is the deadliest in the Chinese capital since a June 2002 fire at an internet cafe killed 25 students BEIJING Chinese authorities said on Wednesday they had detained a dozen people over a hospital fire in Beijing that left at least 29 dead and forced desperate survivors to jump out of windows to escape. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326943,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-326908","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n