15 killed, 44 injured in building fire in China
Beijing, Feb 24: At least 15 people were killed and 44 others injured when a building caught fire in China, a month after 39 people died in a similar accident.
The building fire broke out in Nanjing, the capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province, the municipal government said on Saturday.
Forty-four injured in the fire that broke out on Friday morning are receiving treatment at a local hospital.
A preliminary investigation found that the fire erupted on the building's first floor, where electrical bicycles were placed, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
This is the second major fire accident in China in about a month.
Thirty-nine people were killed and nine others injured in a building fire that broke out in Xinyu City in east China's Jiangxi Province on January 24.
The fire broke out in a street shop in the Yushui District of Xinyu.
Following the mishap, Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered steps to curb repeated occurrences of such accidents and to protect people's lives, and property and ensure social stability.
Fatal fires in China are not uncommon due to lax enforcement of building and safety standards.
On January 20, at least 13 students were killed when a fire broke out in a school dormitory in central China's Henan province. All the victims were third-grade students.
In November last year, 26 people died after a large fire ripped through an office building in Luliang city in Shanxi province.
A hospital fire in Beijing last April claimed the lives of at least 29 people - mostly patients - and triggered an investigation.
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Attacks on Christians contradict PM's message of harmony, visit to church: Gehlot
Jaipur (PTI): Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday expressed concern over the reported attacks and disruptions in prayer gatherings of the Christian community in different parts of the country, saying such incidents were "worrying and condemnable".
In a post on X, Gehlot said that while the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting a church and giving a message of peace and harmony, news of attacks on members of the Christian community from various regions reflected a serious contradiction.
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"Symbolic gestures would not be enough, and strict legal action was required against those spreading hatred," the senior Congress leader said.
He added that Indian culture has always upheld the spirit of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", where every citizen has full freedom to practise their faith.
Gehlot urged the Centre and state governments to uphold the rule of law and ensure that no citizen is forced to celebrate their festival under fear.
