China: 22 Killed, 3 Injured After Fire In Restaurant In Liaoning

The cause of the fire is still unknown. President Xi Jinping has called for an investigation and for those responsible to be held accountable.

A fire broke out in a restaurant in northeast China, killing 22 people.

Source : X

Twenty-two people have lost their lives and three were injured after the fire engulfed a restaurant in northeast China on Tuesday. However, the details of the cause of the fire are still unknown. 

According to a report by news agency Reuters, the fire occurred at 12:25 PM (04:25 GMT) in a restaurant in a residential area in Liaoning Province's Liaoyang City.

China's President Xi Jinping described the incident "a deeply sobering lesson," and instructed local authorities to promptly treat the injured, investigate the cause without delay, and ensure accountability for those at fault, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Last year, in a separate incident, Gas leaks resulted in at least two high-profile explosions in residential areas, with a blast at a restaurant in the northern province of Hebei in China. The explosion claimed 2 lives and injured 26 others in March, and an explosion in a high-rise building in southern Shenzhen in September also killed one person.

Fire Breaks Out In The US's Overcrowded House

Similarly, three men were killed after an overcrowded house caught on fire in Queens, New York, United States, in the wee hours of Sunday, April 20. Eight other people were taken to area hospitals and were said to be in a stable condition.

According to The New York Times, firefighters arrived at the scene swiftly, but the blaze, which had started on the first floor, had reached the top of the house very quickly. There were people living on all floors of the home.

Investigators believe that smoke detectors were not installed at the time of the incident, which occurred around 1:30 am, according to the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) Commissioner Robert Tucker. Speaking to the media, Tucker stressed that “smoke detectors save lives”, as per NBC York.

The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. However, officials said that the house was overcrowded with people, which had a makeshift partition wall creating small rooms. Tucker said that possessions blocked the stairways and that there were too many extension cords.

The victims were all men who were 45, 52, and 67 years old, the police said.