Horror as huge blaze rips through nursing home killing 38 elderly residents
AT LEAST 38 elderly residents have been killed and six are injured after a horror blaze ripped through a nursing home, according to reports.
Smoke was seen billowing into the sky after the blaze
The fire engulfed an apartment building being used as a care home in Pingdingshan in central China.
Two of the injured were in serious condition as rescuers desperately hunted for survivors, according to state media.
Pictures posted online showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky after the blaze.
It is not known what caused the fire.
Fires are commonplace in China where safety standards are lax
Blazes are common in China because of poor safety enforcement and a corrupt system where officials turn a blind eye to breaches in return for bribes.
In February, a nine-year-old was detained after allegedly "playing with fire" at a mall and starting a blaze which killed 17 people.
And in 2013, a disgruntled resident set fire to a rest home, killing himself and 10 others, in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.