A restaurant fire during a busy lunch hour in northeastern China killed 22 people and injured three on Tuesday, China’s state broadcaster reported.
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The fire broke out at 12.25pm in a restaurant in a residential area of Liaoyang, a city in the northeastern province of Liaoning, according to CCTV.
State news agency Xinhua said the person in charge of the restaurant had been detained, and the cause of the fire was under investigation.
More than 20 fire trucks and 85 firefighters had rushed to the scene, the report said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called the incident “a deeply sobering lesson” and urged local officials to quickly treat the injured, determine what triggered the blaze, and hold those responsible to account.
Xi also urged local governments to improve emergency response plans and step up checks to minimise potential risks ahead of the May Day public holiday which starts on Thursday.
We should “resolutely prevent and curb big safety incidents, effectively ensuring the safety of people’s lives and property as well as overall social stability”, Xi said, according to Xinhua.