Hospital fire in Beijing kills 29 people

Kathmandu: The death toll has risen to 29 after a fire on Tuesday at Beijing’s Changfeng hospital. A preliminary investigation found the cause to be electric sparks caused by modification work, city authorities said at a Wednesday press briefing.

Death toll of the fire has climbed from 21 to 29 on Wednesday. Among the 29 dead, 26 are patients from the hospital, one is a family member of a patient, in addition to one care worker and one nurse, an official confirmed at the press conference. The average age of the patient victims is 71.2 years old.

A total of 39 people who were injured in the fire are receiving treatment, among which three are critically injured, and 18 are in severe condition.

At the press conference, Zhao Yang, official from Beijing’s fire rescue corps said that an initial investigation shows that the fire in Beijing’s Changfeng hospital was caused by construction inside the hospital, which generated sparks that ignited combustible materials.

A total of 12 people, including the head of the hospital, those in charge of the construction have been detained after the deadly fire, Sun Haitao, official from criminal investigation corps of Beijing’s Public Security Bureau said at the conference.

Beijing authorities vowed to screen safety hazards in hospitals, nursing homes, tall buildings and underground spaces following the deadly incident.

The hospital has suspended outpatient services, and denied entry to the facility except for hospitalized patients, a Global Times reporter learned after visiting the site. The company’s stock was suspended of trading on Wednesday.