A devastating fire broke out in an apartment building in Taiyuan city, Shanxi province, around 5pm on Sunday. By Monday morning, official state media reported that the death toll had climbed to 14.
Rescue teams put out the flames on Sunday and completed their search operations at the scene.
Hospitalised victims
Official news agency Xinhua revealed that 38 people in total were rushed to hospitals for medical care, with five of them succumbing to their injuries.
Investigators are still trying to determine what triggered the deadly blaze.
“A total of 38 people were sent to hospitals for treatment, among whom five have died,”Xinhua
Pattern of deadly blazes
Deadly fires are relatively common in China because of lax building codes and careless workplace safety practices.
Authorities had started a campaign against high-rise fire hazards last November following a massive fire in Hong Kong that killed 168 people. Other recent disasters include a residential fire in Guangdong province that killed 12 people and a shoe factory blaze in eastern China in July that killed at least 28 people.
