Chinese coal firm office fire claims 26 lives

In Shanxi province in north China, a coal mining company’s building caught fire on Thursday, resulting in at least 26 fatalities and over 60 injuries, according to official media.

Around 6:50 a.m. (local time), the fire broke out on the second level of the five-story building in Lyuliang City’s Lishi District.

The state-run Xinhua news agency said that 26 people were killed in the fire and that over 60 others were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Rescue operations are continuing and the fire has been contained, according to the Global Times newspaper.

The structure is owned by a private coal mining business.

China has a high rate of industrial accidents as a result of inadequate safety regulations and enforcement.