China vows safety crackdown after nursing home fire kills 38

China ordered nationwide safety checks of public buildings Tuesday after a fire at a nursing home killed dozens of elderly residents, leaving bodies burned beyond recognition and wheelchairs reduced to charred frames. The blaze left 38 people dead as it swept through a privately-owned old people’s home in Pingdingshan, in central China, state news agency Xinhua said. Six people were injured in the blaze, which broke out on Monday night, including two who were in critical condition in hospital, according to a local government statement. Xinhua said many of the 51 elderly residents in the home were too frail to escape the fire, which was extinguished in less than an hour.

The bodies were so badly burned, we couldn’t tell who was who.

Xinhua quoted one victim’s relative as saying

Twelve members of staff have been taken into custody as part of the investigation into the disaster and police are searching for another three, although the cause of the fire remains unknown. The incident sparked soul-searching in China, where enforcement of safety standards is often lax, with some property and business owners paying off corrupt officials to look the other way.

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