Fire kills 13 people in a school dormitory in central China

Thirteen people were killed in a fire at the dormitory of a kindergarten and primary school in central China, Chinese state news media reported on Saturday.

A 14th person was treated at a hospital for injuries after the fire broke out late Friday night, China Central Television said. The fire was quickly extinguished and the school principal was taken into custody, the report said. No further details were provided, including whether the dead were children.

It was not immediately known whether all students at the school were boarders, or how large the dormitory was. Calls to the school on Saturday morning went unanswered.

News of the fire became the second most searched topic online on Saturday morning, with 120 million views on Weibo, China's most popular social media platform.

Many people expressed their condolences online to the relatives of the victims and called for a full and transparent account of the disaster. “It is truly shocking that this happened at a school that should be making the greatest efforts to ensure safety,” one commenter wrote.

The school, known as Dushu Town Yingcai School, is located in Fangcheng County in central Henan Province, and is privately owned. It recently invested more than the equivalent of $1.4 million in “the construction and beautification of the school,” according to a post from its official social media account several years ago. It is located on a site of 35 hectares including a sports field and a basketball court. The school has received favorable reviews from local authorities, the school said.

According to the local government's education website, the preschool charges $25 per month in tuition. According to official statistics, the average annual disposable income of Fangcheng County residents in 2022 was $3,372.

Li you research contributed.