China’s state news agency reports 10 people have been killed in a hotel fire in the central province of Hunan.
Xinhua News Agency says the fire broke out shortly before 1-00 a.m. on Thursday (1700 GMT Wednesday) in a small hotel in the provincial capital Changsha.
Six victims died at the scene while four more succumbed after being rushed to hospital. Xinhua said most of the deaths were due to the inhalation of toxic smoke that was trapped inside the building because windows were sealed against the cold weather.
Xinhua said about 50 other people were evacuated and the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Also on Thursday, at least nine people were killed in a fireworks explosion in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.
