China detains 24 over hotel fire

Chinese police have detained 24 people after a major fire broke out at a multi-storey luxurious hotel in Nanchang, capital of eastern Jiangxi Province, state-media reported today.
Twenty-four people, including hotel shareholders, the contractor of the project and workers, have been taken into police custody, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The condition of the three people who were among the nine injured in the deadly fire yesterday was stated to be serious, the report said.
Those killed in the fire at HNA Platinum Mix Hotel in the Honggutan New District, included three hotel guests and seven construction workers, the city government said.

A preliminary investigation found the blaze was caused by welding and cutting which violated safety rules.
Over 260 residents of a 24-storey apartment building connected to the hotel were also evacuated yesterday.
This is the second major fire accident in China this month. Eighteen people were killed after a foot massage parlour caught fire in the eastern province of Zhejiang on February 5.