At least eight people have been killed and 30 others rescued from a dangerous fire that broke out at a shopping mall in the Chinese city of Zigong, Chinese state radio reported. Closed TV circuit reported on Wednesday.
The fierce blaze prompted a large-scale search and rescue operation at the mall to rescue people who remained trapped inside the 14-storey building.
Images and videos on social media showed a huge plume of black smoke rising from the mall.
According to state media, the fire broke out at a shopping mall in Zigong, a city in western China's Sichuan province, at around 6 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET) today.
Some reports said the fire had been extinguished and rescue efforts were underway. However, it was unclear how many people were still trapped.
The local fire department sent nearly 300 emergency workers and dozens of vehicles to the scene. The fire was extinguished by 8:20 p.m. local time.
This is another major fire in China this year, as at least 39 people lost their lives and nine others were injured after a fire broke out in the basement of shops in Xinyu city, in China's Jiangxi province, in January.
That same month, a fierce fire at a boarding school dormitory (Yingcai School in Yanshanpu Village, Henan Province) claimed the lives of 13 students before firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze.
