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Death toll in building fire rises to nine

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-19 11:42

The death toll in a building fire in Wuhan, capital of Central China’s Hubei province, has risen to nine, as rescuers found another body in the debris and two other victims failed to respond to medical treatment in hospital on Tuesday. Rescue workers previously recovered six bodies after a fire swept through a building used for residential and commercial purposes early on Tuesday. An official with the fire department said the fire started on the ground floor of the building at around 11 pm on Monday, spreading across 900 square meters of floor space before it was contained. The ground floor was used as a food market, while more than 20 people lived on the floors above. Most of them managed to escape the blaze.[Photo by Xinhua]