Casualties in S China factory fire identified

Updated: 2011-08-24 21:23

(Xinhua)

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GUANGZHOU - Authorities in South China's Guangdong province on Wednesday published a list of casualties from a fire that engulfed a ceramics factory Tuesday, leaving 15 people dead and one injured.

Representatives of the Sanshui District government in the city of Foshan are working on a compensation plan for the victims' families, the government said in a press release.

Most of those killed in the blaze were managers and senior staff, according to the release. Some of them hailed from areas outside of Guangdong, including the provinces of Sichuan and Hubei and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The fire broke out at around 6:00 am Tuesday, engulfing a building belonging to the Shengfeng Ceramics Company. Twelve of the victims died at the scene from burn injuries or suffocation, while two others died after jumping off the four-story building in a failed escape attempt. One died while being treated at a local hospital.

The only survivor, a driver who was injured after jumping off the building, regained consciousness on Wednesday morning.

The fire started on the second floor of the building and quickly spread to other floors, according to Sun Jiangmin, an official from the provincial fire prevention bureau.

The cause of the fire is still unclear, Sun said. He blamed the large number of casualties on the building's inadequate fire alarm system.