21 killed as fire engulfs Beijing hospital ward

Twenty-one people have died as a result of a fire in a hospital in Beijing on Tuesday, firefighters said.

The Fire and Rescue Brigade of Fengtai District received a report of a fire in the east wing of the hospitalization department at Beijing Changfeng Hospital and rushed to the scene along with police, health and emergency workers.

The fire broke out at around noon and at approximately 1:33 pm the fire had been extinguished. By 3:30 pm the on-site rescue work had been completed. A total of 71 patients had been evacuated and transferred.

As of 6 pm, 21 people had been confirmed dead after being transferred to other hospitals for treatment. The cause of the accident is under investigation.