- By Ajeet Kumar
- Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:43 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
China Fire News: Twelve people have been killed in a residential fire in the southern Chinese city of Shantou, state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday.
The blaze broke out on Tuesday at 9:20 p.m. in a four-storey building and was extinguished about 40 minutes later, Xinhua said. An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
The incident comes as the death toll from Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades climbed to 160 on Tuesday. The fire prompted calls from China's top leaders to eliminate safety hazards in the housing industry.
China fire raises safety alarm
China last month also announced a sweeping inspection of fire-safety standards in high-rise buildings nationwide following the deadly Hong Kong blaze, to prevent any comparable disaster on the mainland.
The fire in Shantou is the latest in a string of similar fatal incidents across the country in recent years. In April, 20 people were killed in a fire that broke out in an apartment for the elderly at a nursing home in the northern province of Hebei. Weeks later, a restaurant fire in northeastern China killed 22 people.
160 bodies found in Hong Kong fire
Of the 160 bodies found, 140 have been identified. They comprise 91 females and 49 males, aged between one and 97 years. Foreign domestic helpers from Indonesia and the Philippines are among 31 people still missing.
"We really want, if there are any bodies left at the scene, we can uncover them as soon as possible so that the surviving family, they can pay a final goodbye," Police Commissioner Chow Yat-ming told a press conference on Wednesday.
Police have arrested 21 suspects for manslaughter in a probe into the cause of the fire, while Hong Kong's anti-corruption body is also investigating possible graft.
(With inputs from agency)