People Trapped in China Hospital Fire Escape Using Bedsheets, Many Stuck on Windows | WATCH

At least 29 people have died after a fire broke out in a Beijing hospital, making it one of the most deadly fires in the Chinese capital in recent years.

The fire at the Beijing Changfeng Hospital in the Fengtai District broke out at around 1 pm (local time) on Tuesday and was extinguished about half an hour later. The fire was extinguished in about half an hour.

Reports said out of the 29 dead, 26 were patients at the hospital, two were hospital staff and one was a patient’s family member.

Videos posted on social media on Tuesday showed people sitting on external air conditioning units, while others clinging to ropes jumped from the building.

It also showed people escaping from the hospital windows using bedsheets and long ladders. While some people successfully make it out of the building, others struggle to find an exit from the multi-storeyed building.

One video going viral on social media showed at least two people successfully escaping from the building after using bedsheets to climb atop another building. The 59-second video also showed several people standing atop the AC outdoor unit outside the windows of the hospital.

Twelve people have been detained after the incident, including the facility’s director, city police said adding that representatives from a company renovating the hospital were also being held.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that a preliminary probe revealed the blaze had been caused by “sparks generated during the internal renovation and construction of the inpatient department of the hospital”.

There were still 78 patients being treated at the hospital, who have been moved to the facility’s west building, local reports said.

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