State media reports say 20 people have been killed in a fire in a nursing home in northeastern China.
The flames in Cendae city, Hebei province, broke out on local time Tuesday night and disappeared in about two hours.
It is reported that 19 people survived the fire and were taken to hospital for observation.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the flames and the person in charge of the home is in custody. Other details were not available immediately.
Some on social media asked for a thorough investigation while others expressed sympathy for the elderly victims.
“The elderly already have mobility issues,” wrote one Weibo user. “I can't imagine how hopeless they were during the fire.”
Authorities say nursing homes and elderly care facilities doubled between 2019 and 2024. This is because China deals with an increasing population.
In 2023, 29 people died – many of them elderly, and dozens were injured after a fire broke out at a private hospital in Beijing.
