Police nab 13 in deadly fire case

Thirteen management staff members at a coal mine in North China's Shanxi province have been taken into police custody following a deadly fire on Thursday that killed at least 26 people, officials said on Friday.

After observing a moment of silence, Zhang Guangyong, mayor of the coal-producing city Lyuliang, told a news conference on Friday that the city would do everything to help uncover the cause of Thursday's fire as soon as possible.

He apologized to the victims' family members and pledged to compensate them. "We'll do our utmost to produce an explanation to the society as well as family members of the victims."

The fire injured 38, local government said on Friday, adding that the four critically wounded workers were temporarily safe.

Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing on Thursday arrived in Lyuliang to guide rescue work on the ground after the fire broke out earlier that day at a building owned by coal mining company Shanxi Lyuliang Lishi Yongju Coal Industry Co, Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday.

He emphasized that every effort must be made to treat the injured and rule out hidden dangers at the mine, the Xinhua report said.

Zhang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday visited the injured at a hospital, requesting health workers to spare no effort to save lives.

He also visited rescuers.

At a late-night meeting, Zhang told local officials to deploy topnotch doctors and equipment to treat and care for the injured.

He said local officials should comfort the victims' family members, release information efficiently, and investigate thoroughly, Xinhua reported.

Zhang emphasized that the nation should learn from the accident and eliminate blind spots in safety management.

Close attention must be paid to key industries such as coal mines in winter, when increased heating needs make such accidents more likely, he said.

According to the local government's information office, the fire broke out around 7 am on Thursday at the four-story office building complex, whose first floor serves as the storage room for mining outfit and laundry space.

The second floor has a bathroom for miners — the site where the fire broke out. The third and fourth floors are office areas.

The fire was put out at 8:35 am, and the rescue work concluded at about 1:45 pm, it said.

At the news conference on Friday, Zhu Jiang, a head firefighter involved in the rescue operation, said the fire burned 900 square meters of areas in the building. More than 200 lockers were placed there.

Ironically, the fire came amid a province-wide campaign to root out safety hazards at workplaces in Shanxi.

On Thursday, the province's workplace safety watchdog released a circular. It said that the fire had "serious social consequences" and exposed issues such as fire safety mismanagement and low awareness of workers at some companies despite inspections.