News Desk

16 people have died in a fire that erupted at a shopping mall in Zigong of the Sichuan province in Southwest China on Wednesday, as reported by Chinese state media. Images surrounding the fire display heavy black smoke rising from the building as several people gather on a balcony. About 30 people were rescued from the building after the local fire department deployed nearly 300 emergency workers and numerous vehicles to the scene, said CCTV.

Current Investigations indicate that the fire was likely cause by construction work, reported CCTV citing local authorities. China’s Ministry of Emergency Management called for a swift investigation to determine the cause on Thursday, emphasizing the need to improve safety measures.

Incidents such as this are relatively common in many parts of China, mostly due to a significant lack of safety enforcement. In January, a fire which had spread through a mixed-use building in Southeast China claimed at least 39 lives, merely days after a boarding school fire in central Henan province killed 13 children.