At least 21 people have been killed, as of 6:00 pm (local time), after a fire broke out in a hospital in China’s capital city of Beijing, said a report by the CGTN, on Tuesday (April 18). According to reports, the open fire at Beijing’s Changfeng Hospital has since been extinguished and the on-site rescue work was over.
The fire broke out in the hospital’s east wing in the inpatient department at 12:57 pm (local time) and was extinguished at around 1:33 (local time), reported the Beijing Daily. As of 6:00 pm (local time), a total of 71 people were evacuated and transferred after the rescue work. The investigation for the cause of the fire is underway.
“It’s tragic. I can see the accident from the window of my house. A lot of people were standing on the air conditioning unit at noon, and some even jumped off,” said a Weibo netizen, as per Reuters.
Furthermore, the Associated Press, citing videos of the fire circulating on Chinese social media said black smoke billowing from the building and some people were seen climbing out of the windows using what appeared to be makeshift ropes made out of bedsheets while some took refuge on air conditioning units outside.
This is a developing story…More to follow.
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