Police have detained three owners of an illegally-run bar in the
southern Guangdong Province, where a major Sunday night fire killed
26 and injured 11, and the municipal authorities have formed a
special support team to aid families of the deceased, local
officials announced yesterday.
The bar was run by four brothers, Lin Hanwen, Lin Hanlong, Lin
Hanzhong and Lin Hanwu, all residents of Tanzhou Township,
Zhongshan City, said the police.
Lin Hanwu, who was injured in the fire, remains
hospitalized.
The fire broke out at 11:10 PM on Sunday night, while more than
100 people were inside the illegally-operated bar, the Tandao
Western-style Restaurant in Tanzhou Township. Once the smoke had
cleared, 25 people were found dead at the scene. Another died after
being rushed to the hospital.
Investigations revealed that the bar was not equipped with any
fire extinguishing devices, and the safety exit was extremely
narrow, making a fast evacuation difficult.
The fire was extinguished within five minutes by 20 firemen
manning three fire engines. The fire personnel and their equipment
arrived at the scene within three minutes of getting the call, but
even that quick response was too late for the victims.
The government of Zhongshan City announced on Monday that most
of the victims were young people, including 21 males and five
females, and the government has formed special support teams to
console the families of the deceased, and otherwise assist them in
dealing with the sad aftermath.
The 11 injured in the fire were in stable conditions, according
to the People's Hospital of Zhongshan City.
Soon after the incident, Wang Yuanhua, deputy secretary of the
Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China
(CPC), went to the hospital to visit the injured. There he called
upon the medical workers to spare no effort in saving those victims
that survived.
(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn December 27, 2005)
