Update | Hydrants faulty at Shenzhen market where blaze killed 16, witnesses say
Witnesses cite equipment failure in Shenzhen blaze; children among dead
Authorities in Shenzhen are investigating the city's worst fire in five years, which yesterday killed at least 16 people, including at least three young children.
The death toll could be higher. The spoke to the family of a five-year-old child killed in the blaze whose name was not on the official list of victims.
A further three people were injured in the blaze.
Wang Long, a security guard who works nearby, said he called police at 1.29am when he spotted the fire and then tried to wake up more than 20 people sleeping at the more than 260 stalls in the market, which opened in 2008.
"The fire hydrants were not working and the first four fire trucks arrived at about 1.40 am," Wang said. "The fire should have been under control if the safety equipment worked well. More people should have survived." he said. Many wholesalers stay at the market to unload fruit in the early morning.
The fire engulfed an area of more than 1,000 square metres before being brought under control by 145 firefighters and 29 fire trucks at 3am, the municipal government said. The cause was under investigation, it said.
