Apartment blaze claims 4 lives in Dalian

Four people were killed when an apartment caught fire in Dalian, Liaoning province, on Wednesday afternoon, the emergency management department of the city's Ganjingzi district said.

At 2:45 pm, the fire and rescue department of the district received the report that an apartment at the residential community of Qianshan Xincheng was on fire.

Relevant personnel, including firefighters, public security and emergency management immediately rushed to the scene.

At 3:28 pm, the fire was extinguished and the search and rescue ended.

The blaze left two dead and two fell to their deaths.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. However, a gas explosion has been initially ruled out.