Thirteen persons reportedly killed in school dormitory fire in China

Chinese state media on Saturday reported that, 13 pupils perished in a fire that started in the dorms of an elementary school boarding school in central Henan province.

Zonglan news, a state-backed media site from Hebei province, was informed by a teacher that all of the deceased were third grade students.

China’s national media, CCTV, said that one individual who had been rescued from the site was receiving medical attention in the hospital.

According to Xinhua, the fire at the Yingcai School in Yanshanpu village, Henan, was reported to the local fire department at 11 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Friday.

According to Xinhua, 13 individuals have been confirmed deceased, with one injured.

Deadly fires are common in China due to lax safety standards and poor enforcement.

In November, 26 people died and dozens were sent to hospital after a fire at a coal company office in northern China’s Shanxi province.

In April, a hospital fire in Beijing killed 29 people and forced desperate survivors to jump out of windows to escape.

The boarding school caters primarily to students in the elementary grades, though it has an attached kindergarten, according to the school’s social media page, WeChat.

Many of the boarding students come from rural areas, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.