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A fire which killed 120 people at a poultry factory in northeast China's Jilin Province on Monday has raised concerns over China's often-criticized lax work safety conditions.
The fire broke out around 6:06 a.m. at a poultry processing workshop owned by the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company in Mishazi Township in the city of Dehui, located about 100 km northeast of the provincial capital of Changchun.
Health authorities said 60 people have been hospitalized, including eight people who are in life-threatening condition.
President Xi Jinping, who is currently on a visit to Costa Rica, has demanded all-out rescue efforts to minimize casualties.Xi has urged authorities to ascertain the cause of the fire and hold those responsible accountable.
Premier Li Keqiang in a separate instruction asked local authorities to prioritize life-saving efforts.
Jilin Baoyuanfeng is a large poultry company, slaughtering and processing 1 million chickens annually. The company employs more than 1,200 people, though it said only 411 of them have signed formal work contracts.
Over 300 workers were in the plant when the fire began, according to witnesses, adding that they heard "loud bangs" before seeing dark smoke and flames rise from the building.
About 100 workers managed to escape from the plant, the witnesses said.The plant's complicated structure and narrow exits made rescue work difficult, local rescuers said.
Local authorities have sent 67 fire trucks and more than 500 firefighters to the scene of the fire, as well as combed the area looking for survivors.The building's steel frame could be seen after the fire was put out at noon Monday.Local environmental authorities have begun monitoring the environmental impact of the fire.
People living nearby said they could smell a pungent odor after the fire broke out, with some suffering from headaches. Nearly 3,000 residents have been evacuated.
Some victims' families have arrived at the scene and demanded a government investigation into the cause of the accident as soon as possible. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Those who are suspected of being responsible for the accident have been taken into police custody for further inquiry.
Search and rescue efforts remain under way. The exact number of people still trapped in the plant has yet to be confirmed.
