Fire at Chinese Shoe Factory Leaves 28 Dead; Xi Jinping Demands Strict Accountability

[Anchor]

A fire at a shoe factory in China's Fujian Province has left 28 people dead. With this latest tragedy occurring just two months after a series of major accidents in May claimed over 100 lives, President Xi Jinping has ordered strict punishment for those responsible.

Beijing correspondent Han Sang-woo reports.

[Reporter]

Flames and thick black smoke billow endlessly as people who evacuated to the rooftop wait desperately for rescue.

A rescue helicopter arrives while firefighters pour water onto the roof to buy time. Rescuers also use a ladder from the roof of an adjacent building to save those stranded.

[Wang / Resident of the adjacent building who rescued 3 people: I saw the fire already on their side. They couldn't get out. I told them to climb onto the outer wall and step on my body to come down.]

The fire broke out at a shoe factory in Jinjiang, Fujian Province, in southeastern China, at approximately 12:04 p.m. Although the fire was brought under control after five hours, 28 people have been confirmed dead, and dozens more are injured.

The factory was a five-story building, and the fire started on the first floor. Because the building housed both workshops and shoe warehouses, the fire spread rapidly to shoe materials and finished products, causing toxic gas to fill the structure.

At the time of the incident, 239 people were working in the factory, and 213 managed to evacuate.

Jinjiang, where the factory is located, is home to over 7,000 shoe manufacturing companies, many of which are known to have similar working environments that are vulnerable to fire hazards.

President Xi Jinping issued instructions to "make every effort to handle the aftermath of the accident, quickly identify the cause, strictly punish those responsible, and prepare thorough preventive measures."

Just two months ago in May, 82 people were killed in a coal mine gas explosion in Shanxi Province, and 26 died in a fireworks factory explosion in Hunan Province.

Despite repeated orders for thorough investigations, accountability, and the establishment of safety measures, major accidents causing mass casualties due to a lack of safety awareness in China show little sign of decreasing.

(Video reporting: Choi Deok-hyun | Video editing: Jo Mu-hwan | Sources: Douyin@金小鱼, Weibo@新京报, Douyin@江苏法治, @长安街知事, @人民日报)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.