Department store fire leads to death of 16 in Sichuan

A total of 16 people have been killed in a fire in the Jiuding Department Store in the Zigong High-Tech Zone in the city of Zigong, Sichuan province.

The fire broke out at 6:11 pm on Wednesday, sending off a large amount of smoke and stranding people inside. According to the Bureau of Ecological Environment and Emergency Management of the Zigong High-Tech Zone, the rescue work at the scene of the fire ended at 3 am on Thursday, with everyone stranded safely rescued.

The injured have received proper medical treatment. Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire was triggered by construction operations, with further details currently under investigation. Follow-up work is in progress.

The Xinhua News Agency contributed to this story.