Fri 21 Dec 2007, 06:18 GMT17

 

South China restaurant blaze kills 10
13 Dec 2007 17:47:09 GMT
Source: Reuters

(Adds possible causes of fires in paragraphs 3 and 5)

BEIJING, Dec 13 (Reuters) - A fire at a restaurant in southern China killed 10 people and injured nine, hours after fire-fighters doused a blaze that killed 21 in east China, state media said on Thursday.

The fire on Wednesday at Mingdian Western-style Restaurant in Zhangmutou, in the southern province of Guangdong, spread more than 400 sq metres before being put out, Xinhua news agency said.

A senior local government official was quoted by Xinhua as saying that the fire that killed five restaurant staff and five customers started in an air conditioner, possibly because of faulty electric wiring.

A fire at a ground-floor flower shop in downtown Wenzhou, a booming city in eastern Zhejiang province, spread into a dance floor above and an apartment block killing 21 people and seriously injuring two who jumped from high to escape.

Initial investigations found the fire was also caused by faulty electrical wiring, Xinhua said.

Most of the victims were elderly people doing morning exercise.

Xinhua said more than 200 firefighters took three hours to put out the blaze and rescued or evacuated more than 200 residents.

Police were hunting for the owner of the flower shop whose accounts had been frozen to compensate victims, the agency said. (Additional reporting by Charlie Zhu)
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European Union special envoy for Myanmar Piero Fassino drinks a cup of coffee before a news conference in Beijing December 20, 2007. Fassino said that China's support has been vital to ...



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