Fire at Beijing hospital leaves 29 dead; authorities arrest 12 people.
Among the 12 detainees are the hospital director and representatives of a company that was working on the renovation of the medical center.
247 - A massive fire at a hospital in Beijing, China's capital, left 29 dead, prompting Chinese authorities to arrest 12 individuals in connection with the tragedy. This was the deadliest accident in the Chinese capital since 2002.
The fire at Changfeng Hospital in Fengtai District broke out shortly before 1 p.m. (0200 GMT) on Tuesday. The flames were brought under control within 30 minutes, and emergency crews evacuated 71 patients over the next two hours, the official Beijing Daily reported.
Among the 12 detained are the hospital director and representatives of a company working on the renovation of the medical center, said Sun Haitao, a senior official at the Beijing Public Security Bureau, reported AFP.
As of early Wednesday, 39 injured people were still in hospital, three in critical condition and 18 in serious condition, authorities said.