Significant casualties in China shoe factory fire, Xi signals

Firefighters worked to reach people trapped in a burning shoe factory in southeastern China on Thursday as state media reported an unknown number of casualties and President Xi Jinping suggested the blaze may have caused heavy loss of life.

Firefighters worked to reach people trapped in a burning shoe factory in southeastern China on Thursday as state media reported an unknown number of casualties and President Xi Jinping suggested the blaze may have caused heavy loss of life.

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The fire broke out at around noon on Thursday (11 p.m. ET Wednesday) in the city of Jinjiang in Fujian province, with some people trapped on the rooftop, state broadcaster CCTV said.

It was not immediately clear how many have been killed or injured.