Chinese leader Xi Jinping calls for ‘deep reflection’ on frequent accidents after latest deadly accident

Authorities should ‘curb trend of repeated safety accidents’, Chinese president says, while urging local governments to help ensure social stability

A number of college students are reported to have died in the fire in an eastern city on Wednesday, the third tragedy to hit China in less than a week

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Local officials and members of the press mourn the victims of a fire in Xinyu, Jiangxi province, ahead of a news conference on the accident on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 5:13pm, 25 Jan 2024Updated: 9:33pm, 25 Jan 2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on local authorities to “curb the trend of repeated” accidents, calling for “deep reflection” after a fire in the east of the country became the third deadly tragedy to hit the country in less than a week.

Wednesday’s blaze at a shophouse in Xinyu, a city in Jiangxi province, claimed at least 39 lives. Nine other people were injured, with eight of them in stable condition, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Local media said a number of college students studying for an exam were among the casualties.

Local police had detained 12 people, including the owner of the exam training centre on an upper floor, state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday morning.

It was the latest major accident to hit China since Friday, when 13 children were killed after a fire broke out at a primary school dormitory in central Henan province. Teachers said all of the victims were third-graders, or about nine years old.

On Monday, a landslide in southwestern Yunnan province buried a mountain village, trapping dozens under the rubble and prompting a call from Xi for “all-out” search and rescue efforts. The death toll had risen to 34 as of Wednesday evening, with at least 10 people still missing.