Dozens die in Shanghai high-rise fire

A huge fire in a high-rise has killed 42 people in one of the Shanghai’s most densely populated areas, China’s state media reports. Nearby hospitals have received more than 90 injured people.

A fireman searchs for survivors at a burning building in Shanghai Reuters

The fire broke out after lunchtime and it took four and a half hours for firefighters to extinguish it. The upper half of the building was out of reach until the firefighters set up hoses on a nearby building.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated. However, a woman told AFP she had filed a complaint about workers dropping cigarette butts near the building.

The toll from the fire in the high-rise has more than tripled from the 12 deaths announced earlier.

The Shanghai high-rise was under renovation when the fire broke out and bright orange flames could be seen enveloping the scaffolding.