China: Hotel fire kills 20 in northeast Harbin city (August 25)

Event

On August 25, twenty people died and 25 others were injured in a hotel fire in Harbin, capital of eastern Heilongjiang Province. It took three hours for firefighters to end the blaze, that destroyed an area of around 400 square meters in Harbin's Sun Island resort. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Context

The tragedy added to a string of deadly fires that have recently plagued China. In 2016, over 300,000 fire accidents were reported across China, killing more than 1,500 people.

Advice

Fire protection standards in China are not always as developed as in the West. Individuals present in China are advised to check if their accommodations have a working fire alarm, as well as passable fire exits.