Sichuan blaze leaves 30 dead

Wind shift, rough terrain hamper efforts of 689 firefighters in high-altitude forest

Thirty people were confirmed killed while fighting a forest fire that broke out on Saturday in the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, the Ministry of Emergency Management said in a statement on Monday.

By 6:30 pm on Monday, the bodies of the victims were all recovered, including 27 firefighters and three locals, said the ministry, whose official website switched to black and white to mourn the tragedy.