Market fire in China’s Shenzhen kills 16
Firefighters search for survivors at a farm produce wholesale market on December 11, 2013 in Shenzhen, China. A fire broke out at around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday and was put out two hours later, killing at least 16 people and injuring five others.
A fire on Wednesday morning at a farmers' market in south China's Shenzhen killed at least 16 people and injured another five, state media reported.
The blaze broke out in the Guangming New District market at about 1:30 a.m. and spread to an area of about 1,000 square meters (10,764 square feet), according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.
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The fire department sent 145 firefighters in 29 fire trucks to the scene. The blaze took two hours to bring under control.
All of the victims were found inside four stores of the Rongjian Farmers' Market, Zhang Xiaowei, spokesman for the city fire department, told Xinhua.
Rescue workers and cleanup crews were still at the scene at 8 a.m., as the market remained shut Wednesday morning. A main road near the market was also closed off in both directions.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but an investigation is underway.
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