Ten dead, nine injured in Xinjiang fire

BEIJING: Ten people were killed and nine injured in a fire in a residential building in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region, state media reported yesterday.

The blaze broke out in a highrise building on Thursday night, state news agency Xinhua said, at about 7:50pm.

“Ten people died despite emergency treatment,” Xinhua reported.

“The injuries sustained by nine others are not life-threatening,” it added, saying an investigation into the fire had begun.

Deadly fires are common in China, due to weak safety standards and corruption among officials tasked with enforcing them.

This week, 38 people were killed and two were injured in a fire at a factory in central China’s Anyang city. Authorities blamed “electric welding in which workers violated safety measures”.