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At least 28 people were killed in a massive fire at a shoe factory in Jinjiang, a city in southeastern China’s Fujian Province, on Thursday, according to state media.
The blaze broke out at around 12:00 pm local time at the Huiteng Footwear factory, the BBC reported, citing China’s state news agency Xinhua.
Video footage released by Xinhua showed thick black smoke billowing from the factory building, with several people stranded on the roof awaiting rescue.
State broadcaster CCTV said hundreds of firefighters and rescue workers were deployed to the scene and more than 200 people were evacuated safely. The number of injured has not yet been confirmed.
Preliminary reports suggest the fire may have started in a ground-floor storage area where flammable materials were kept.
Xinhua said authorities have detained several people linked to the factory’s management and frozen the company’s bank accounts as part of the investigation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping described the incident as a “major tragedy” with significant loss of life and ordered a thorough investigation, calling for those responsible to be held strictly accountable.
Jinjiang is widely known as China’s “shoe capital,” producing about 20% of the world’s sports shoes.
The latest fire comes as Chinese authorities continue nationwide fire safety inspections following a series of deadly blazes, including one that killed 168 people in several high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong last November.