Beijing, China.- A fire at a hospital in Beijing, China, left 21 dead, the official newspaper of the Communist Party said on Tuesday.
The alert about the fire declared in the Changfeng hospital, in the Fengtai neighborhood, was given shortly before 1:00 p.m.
Videos of the fire circulating on social media show black smoke billowing from the building, with some people climbing out of windows using what appear to be makeshift ropes made from sheets. While others took refuge in air conditioning units outside the windows.
The fire was put out half an hour later, and rescue services evacuated 71 patients over the next two hours, according to the Beijing Daily, adding that the causes of the “accident” are being investigated.
At the moment, no information was given about the state of the injured.
Changfeng Hospital is located in the west of the capital, about a 25-minute drive from Tiananmen Square.
