Watch: People sit on air conditioners, some jump off building as fire envelops Beijing hospital

A massive fire broke out on Tuesday at a Beijing hospital that left at least 21 people killed. The fire broke out on April 18 at 6:00 pm (local time) at Beijing’s Changfeng Hospital. An investigation is currently underway on the cause of the fire, which was put off in about half an hour, AFP reported. The rescue operations went on for more than two hours after the fire was extinguished and 71 patients were evacuated from the hospital.

The videos from the hospital, which is in the capital city’s Fengtai district, have gone viral all over the internet as people clenched to air conditioning units in a desperate move to save themselves from the fire. Some people were also seen clinging to ropes and jumping off the building.

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The total number of injuries suffered in the fire is not known yet. Shortly after the fire, top city officials visited the hospital. Beijing party secretary Yin Li vowed to “quickly identify the cause of the accident and hold the relevant responsible persons accountable”, local media reported.

NEW: Massive fire breaks out in Beijing hospital. Video show patients using bed sheets to try to escape the blaze, multiple fatalities reported. pic.twitter.com/JGlVBnoj1P — Truthseeker (@Xx17965797N) April 18, 2023

It is still unclear whether all the patients and staff of the hospital have been found and rescued from the fire, AFP reported. The victims were taken to another hospital for emergency treatment, the report added.

Most of the hospital buildings appeared to be without power while the exterior of the building appeared blackened and charred in the photos that surfaced online. At least two ladders are seen leaning against the building amid rescue efforts.

This is not the first time that such a fire broke in China. Deadly fires are now becoming common in China due to weak safety standards and lax enforcement.

In November last year, 38 people were killed in a fire at a factory in central China, with authorities blaming workers for illegal welding.

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In another incident in November, ten people died in an apartment block blaze in China's northwestern Xinjiang which resulted in protests against Covid lockdowns which were blamed for hindering rescue efforts.

Changfeng Hospital is located in Beijing's western urban area- close to Tiananmen Square. Many family members have lost contact with patients, with the missing being mostly elderly with mobility problems, the China Youth Daily said in a separate report on Wednesday.

A police officer present on the scene on Wednesday told AFP that the city “will probably make the appropriate arrangement” to take care of the victims'relatives.

(With inputs from agencies)

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