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Meat shop blaze kills 6 in C. China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-03 23:27

WUHAN -- The death toll from a meat shop fire has risen to six after a nine-month-old infant was confirmed dead in the accident in central China's Hubei Province, local authorities said Tuesday.

The fire broke out at about 3:30 a.m. in the shop on the ground floor of a seven-storey building in downtown Ezhou City, a spokesman with the local fire-fighting authorities said.

The fire was put out at about 4:25 a.m., the spokesman said.

Rescuers had earlier retrieved five adult bodies from the debris.

All the six dead were family members and relatives of a meat shop employee surnamed Chen. They have been living in the shop.

The owner of the meat shop, Hu Lianghu, has been detained by police.

Local authorities are investigating the accident.