18 dead in karaoke lounge fire, arson suspect detained

BEIJING: A fi re tore through a karaoke lounge in southern China yesterday, killing 18 people and injuring another five, as authorities arrested an arson suspect who had reportedly blocked the entrance with a motorcycle.

The fire started after midnight in a three-storey building in Yingde, Guangdong province, and was put out shortly before 1.00am local time, according to the police.

A preliminary investigation found that it was caused by arson, the public security department in Qingyuan city, which oversees Yingde, said on its Weibo social media account.

The suspect got into an argument, then used a motorcycle to block the building’s door and lit the fi re, state broadcaster CCTV said, adding that he was on the lam.

Police said the suspect was captured in a village district, shortly after authorities offered a 200,000 yuan (US$ 32,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of a man identified as a 32- year- old with burn marks on his hips.

The official Xinhua news agency, citing the city government, said the suspect, identified as Liu Chunlu, confessed after he was arrested at his home.

“I was drunk last night and had had a fight with unknown people ( before the fi re),” Liu told police.

The police statement did not describe the location of the fire but state media said it occurred in a small KTV house, or karaoke lounge.– AFP