New Delhi: At least 21 people died on Tuesday in Beijing after a fire broke out at Changfeng Hospital, according to reports. A total of 71 patients were evacuated from the area. The fire was reported at the in-patient department of a hospital in the Fengtai district of Beijing, as per the Global Times report. The fire department rushed to the spot after receiving information regarding the fire incident at 12:57 PM (local time).
The fire department, public security, health, and emergency departments rushed to the spot, Global Times reported citing Beijing Daily. The fire was extinguished at 1:33 pm (local time) and the rescue work continued till 3:30 PM (local time).
A big fire took place in Beijing Changfeng Hospital earlier local time today, killed 21 ppl. In addition to the shocking number of casualties, more scary reality is zero clue of the fire was made to the press – videos, mentions, chat post, nothing. Not a press coverage existed 1) pic.twitter.com/NvBnSyp19Y— Vivian Wu (@vivianwubeijing) April 18, 2023
The cause of the fire is being investigated. According to the media reports, videos that have surfaced online show some people falling out of the window and waiting for rescue. Others were spotted leaping to lower rooftops. Earlier on Monday, 11 people were killed when a fire broke out at a manufacturing building in China’s Zhejiang province’s Jinhua region, according to WAM. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.
According to the Beijing Daily, after hearing about the terrible tragedy, the city’s Party Chairman Yin Li and Mayor Yin Yong went to the scene and declared that no effort should be spared in saving lives and healing the injured.