At least 38 people have been killed after a fire swept through a nursing home in China’s central Henan province. Search operations are underway and
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At least 38 people have been killed after a fire swept through a nursing home in China’s central Henan province.
Search operations are underway and six people are being treated in hospital.
Local media claim the blaze hit a part of the care home where residents suffered from mobility problems making escape difficult.
Authorities say 12 people have been taken into custody and police are searching for three others.
The cause of the fire is unclear.
#BREAKING 38 killed, 6 injured, after a fire broke out at a nursing home in Lushan county, Henan Province on Monday pic.twitter.com/YuxE6Kcruq
— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) May 25, 2015
Furious relatives of those living in the home say officials are downplaying the number of dead and injured.
China’s aging population and government limits on family size means the country is facing a crisis in care for the elderly.
President Xi Jinping has called for an investigation.