Group set up to probe deadly fire

Cause to be found, liability identified in blaze that claimed 29 lives in Beijing

Beijing has set up a special group to investigate the cause of a deadly fire that occurred on Tuesday and claimed 29 lives, striving to discover the cause of this tragedy and then identify responsibilities, according to a report by Beijing Daily on Friday.

People responsible for the blaze will face proper consequences and measures will be taken to make corrections, according to the group, which will put forward suggestions for handling the accident.

The Work Safety Committee of the State Council will directly oversee the group's investigation and handling of the accident and dispatch personnel to guide the investigative work, according to a statement on the website of the Ministry of Emergency Management on Friday, where the office of the committee is based.

The committee demanded Beijing to promptly organize and carry out the investigation, quickly find out the cause of the accident, and seriously punish people who are accountable according to laws and regulations, the statement said.

The blaze happened on Tuesday in Beijing's Changfeng Hospital in Fengtai district. A preliminary investigation showed it was caused by a welding spark during renovation work in one of the hospital's buildings.

"Related departments should thoroughly investigate every aspect of the accident and dig deep into its cause," Yin Li, secretary of the Communist Party of China Beijing Municipal Committee, said during an inspection visit to Fengtai district on Thursday.

Related departments should conduct an in-depth search of loopholes in work quality, weaknesses in basic aspects and the lack of mechanisms, and then make all-round corrections, Yin added.

"Do not turn a blind eye to any loopholes, do not miss any blind spots and do not leave any hidden dangers," Yin said.

During his tour, Yin inspected and gave directions for the follow-up handling of the fire. He also went to the city's health commission to inspect the treatment of transferred patients and the city's mechanism for reporting emergency casualty information.

A total of 71 patients were evacuated and transferred for treatment to other medical institutions in Beijing after the fire, of whom 29 were declared dead, 39 patients were receiving treatment, and another three had been discharged, according to a news briefing on Wednesday.

Yin demanded the institutions provide medical treatment to the patients.

He also required improvements in the reporting mechanism for casualties in emergencies to ensure timely, accurate and complete information, which could provide strong support for effective and comprehensive implementation of rescue and treatment work.

"To accurately get information on public emergencies in time is the premise of rapid and effective handling," Yin said.