BEIJING, Jan 20, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Thirteen schoolchildren have died in a 
dormitory fire in central China's Henan province, the official Xinhua news 
agency reported Saturday.

The blaze at the Yingcai School in Henan's Yanshanpu village was reported to 
the local fire department at 11 pm (1500 GMT) Friday night, Xinhua said.

Thirteen students have been confirmed dead and one injured, the news agency 
said.

A teacher at the school told state-run Hebei Daily that all the victims were 
from the same third-grade class of nine and 10-year-olds.

"Rescuers arrived at the scene quickly and the flames were extinguished at 
11:38 p.m.," Xinhua said.

The injured survivor "is currently receiving treatment at the hospital and is 
in stable condition", according to Xinhua.

Local authorities are investigating the fire's cause, and at least one person 
linked to the school has been detained, Xinhua said.

China National Radio reported that some windows on the school's dormitory 
building were smashed, and published photos showing police cordoning off a 
nearby area.

- Online anger -

Yanshanpu village lies on the outskirts of Nanyang, a city of nearly 10 
million.

Little information about the boarding school is publicly available, though 
social media videos published earlier showed young children including 
kindergarteners wearing smocks with the school's logo as well as older 
children learning calligraphy.

Chinese social media users on Saturday expressed outrage about the fire and 
called for any safety lapses to be punished.

"It's too scary, 13 children from 13 families, all gone in an instant... if 
there is no severe punishment their souls will not rest in peace," one 
commenter on the Weibo social media site wrote.

Fires and other deadly accidents are common in China due to lax safety 
standards and poor enforcement.

In November, 26 people died and dozens were sent to hospital after a fire at 
a coal company office in northern China's Shanxi province.

In July, 11 people died after the roof of a school gym collapsed in the 
country's northeast.

The month before, an explosion at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China 
left 31 dead and prompted official pledges of a nationwide campaign to 
promote workplace safety.

In April, a hospital fire in Beijing killed 29 people and forced desperate 
survivors to jump out of windows to escape.

After the coal company fire in November, Chinese President Xi Jinping called 
for the country to "conduct in-depth investigations of hidden risks in key 
industries, improve emergency plans and prevention measures".