A fire in a four-storey residential building in Shantou, Guangdong province, has killed 12 people, state media reports.
SHANTOU: A fire in a residential building in southern China has killed 12 people, according to state media.
The blaze erupted in a four-storey building in Shantou, Guangdong province, around 9:20 pm on Tuesday.
Local firefighters extinguished the fire just after 10:00 pm.
The Chaonan District Fire and Rescue Team stated the building was a self-built reinforced concrete structure.
The fire affected an area of 150 square metres.
“Investigations into the cause of the fire and aftermath handling work are being conducted in an orderly manner,” the team said.
Initial reports on Wednesday morning stated eight people were killed, with four injured taken to hospital.
State media outlet Xinhua later confirmed the death toll had risen to 12.
This incident follows a major blaze last month in Hong Kong that killed 160 people.
China recently launched a campaign against fire hazards in high-rise buildings following that disaster.
