Nightclub fire in China kills 43, injures 88

A fire that broke out late Saturday inside a nightclub near the Hong Kong border caused a stampede of panicked partygoers trying to escape killing at least 43 people, and leaving more than 88 injured. What caused the inferno is said to be fireworks which were a part of a show featured inside the nightclub.

Chinese firefighters and investigators check the burnt out 'Dance King' nightclub in the city of Shenzhen. The fire broke out at around 11:00 pm on September 20, and a subsequent stampede killed 43 people and left 88 injured in the latest deadly incident highlighting China's abysmal fire safety record.

A fire caused by fireworks set off inside a nightclub and a stampede of panicked partygoers trying to escape has killed at least 43 people in southern China, state media and government officials said Sunday.

The fire, which broke out late Saturday, also injured at least 88 people, an official with the Shenzhen Work Safety Bureau said. Like many Chinese officials, the man refused to give his name.

Shenzhen is just over the border with Hong Kong in Guangdong province.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the fire broke out in a club called King of the Dancers while hundreds of people were watching a show.

An initial police investigation showed that the blaze was triggered by fireworks ignited during the show, Xinhua said.

Many partygoers were hurt in a stampede to escape down "a narrow aisle,“ a club staff member was quoted by the agency as saying.

"I saw people rushing out ... and all the lights were off,“ it quoted Yang Zhi as saying. Xinhua said Yang suffered burns to his neck.

Video footage aired Sunday by Hong Kong’s ATV news showed the smoke-filled nightclub after the fire. Overturned tables, broken glass and shoes lost by partygoers littered the floor.

Guangdong Province Governor Huang Huahua blamed poor ventilation for the deaths.

"There was something wrong with the architectural design,“ Huang told Hong Kong media after inspecting the nightclub.

"If there was a better ventilation system, there wouldn’t be so many deaths in the fire,“ he said.

ATV said the nightclub had no windows and only one exit.

Hong Kong’s government-run broadcaster RTHK reported that Shenzhen authorities had detained 12 people after the fire.

An injured Hong Kong man surnamed Cheng said the fire started after one performer on the stage set off fireworks.

"I saw one of the performers shoot fireworks to the ceiling. I had no idea what the performance was, but the fire started,“ Cheng told ATV from his Shenzhen hospital bed.

"Many people fell to the floor. They shouted for help and cried. It was like in hell,“ said Cheng, whose first name was not given.

Fires and accidents in bars, theaters and other public places are common in China despite government pledges to improve safety. Many are caused by negligence and lax safety procedures, such as a lack of fire extinguishers and emergency exits.

In China’s worst recent nightclub disaster, a fire blamed on a welding accident tore through a disco in the central city of Luoyang in December 2000, killing 309 people.

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