Aftermath of the fire in Anyang which killed 38
(Picture: AP)At least 38 people have been killed in a factory fire in central China, many of them women.
The blaze broke out in a factory in the Chinese city of Anyang in Henan province on Monday. It broke out at the Kaixinda Trading Co Ltd in the Wenfeng District, or "High-tech Zone", of the city.
According to local media reports, the blaze was caused by electric welding that did not meet regulations.
The fire was reported about 4.30pm on Monday and took firefighters about three-and-a-half hours to bring under control, the district government said. More than 200 search and rescue workers and 60 firefighters responded to the fire, according to the statement.
Video footage on state broadcaster CCTV showed flames and smoke billowing out of what appeared to be a two-storey building.
Pictures showed firefighters examining the scarred, skeletal remains of the structure with an extension ladder and lights.
Police have detained an unspecified number of suspects in connection with the blaze.
China has a recent history of industrial accidents caused by lax safety measures.
Poor storage conditions, locked exits and a lack of firefighting equipment are often cited as direct causes.
Online listings for the company, Kaixinda, said it was a wholesaler dealing in a wide range of industrial goods including what was described as specialised chemicals.
A massive 2015 explosion at a separate chemical warehouse in the northern port city of Tianjin killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers.
The chemicals were found to be falsely registered and stored.
