Monday, October 13, 2008

2000 Luoyang Christmas fire

2000 Luoyang Christmas fire is a that occurred in Luoyang, People's Republic of China on Christmas Day in 2000.

Incident


A fire at the Dongdu building broke out at 9:35 p.m. local time, trapping construction workers on the second and third floors. It was extinguished by 12:45 a.m Tuesday. Some 800 police officers and firefighters and 26 fire engines rushed to the scene after receiving the call. Leading government officials of Henan Province and the city of Luoyang, including Governor Li Keqiang, went to the scene to direct rescue work.

A total of 309 people were killed in the fire comprised of 135 males and 174 females, who were attending a gala celebration for Christmas Day at a dancing hall on the fourth floor.

Aftermath


An emergency meeting was held early Tuesday morning in the province and in the afternoon, Shi Wanpeng, vice-minister of the State Economic and Trade Commission, also arrived in Luoyang. To prevent similar accidents, the Ministry of Public Security released an urgent circular, asking local governments to spare no efforts to ensure safety during the New Year's Day and the Spring Festival holidays.

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