BEIJING—Four people have been detained over a fire at an industrial trading company in central China that killed 38 people, reports said Wednesday.
The fire Monday was caused by welding sparks that ignited cotton cloth being stored at a facility run by the firm Kaixinda, authorities said.
Two of the company’s employees and two from a clothing firm were detained, Anyang Mayor Gao Yong told reporters late Tuesday, according to state media. They have not been formally arrested and there was no immediate word on what charges they may face.
In addition to the dead, two people were injured in the fire that took more than four hours to extinguish.
The actual number of casualties from such events may be much higher. The actual number of casualties is difficult to verify, as the Chinese regime routinely suppresses or alters information.
Densely populated and economically prominent Henan has seen a number of recent deadly incidents blamed on violations of safety regulations and lax government supervision.
Five officials were arrested after a building collapse that killed at least 53 people on the outskirts of Henan’s provincial capital Changsha in April.
