At least 10 people died when a fire broke out in a railway workers’ dormitory in China’s Inner Magnolia Autonomous region.
The firemen brought the blaze under control in half an hour, Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
Fourteen other workers in the dormitory were hospitalised after suffering burns, with six of them were severely injured.
The dormitory belongs to the No 19 subsidiary of the China Railway Group Limited in Saihan District, Hohhot. The company’s workers are building a railway tunnel.
Hu Kaijun, one of the injured, told Xinhua the fire engulfed seven rooms of the workers’ dormitory yesterday where 35 were supposed to live.
Baoribatu, director of the production safety bureau in Hohhot, said not all of the workers were staying in the dorm when the accident happened, as they work in shifts.
Rescuers confirmed 10 people died and 14 others were injured in the accident.
“I was about to go on night shift when I saw dense smoke from one of the dorms. I also heard a sound like a wire catching fire,” said worker Hu Kaijun with a frail voice and an injured leg.
He said he smashed the dorm window and helped four to escape.
