At least 12 dead, nearly 100 injured as fire engulfs Shanghai skyscraper

At least 12 dead, nearly 100 injured as fire engulfs Shanghai skyscraper

2010-11-15 17:32:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

SHANGHAI, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- A massive fire at a skyscraper in the Chinese city of Shanghai killed at least twelve people and injured nearly 100 others on Monday, state-run media reported.

The blaze broke out at approximately 2 p.m. local time on the scaffolding of the residential high-rise but quickly spread to the building itself and eventually put all 30 floors on fire. Hours later, after 6 p.m., the fire was continuing to burn.

Authorities said the fire broke out while the building, located in the city's Jingan District, was under renovation. It was not immediately clear what sort of work was being carried out when the fire broke out.

Some people were seen surrounded by thick smoke as they sat on scaffolding in hopes to be rescued. Video footage showed some people being rescued, while others decided to jump to their death.

State-run media reported that at least twelve people had been killed as of 6 p.m., while more than 90 people were injured. The state-run Xinhua news agency said 10 to 20 people were still waiting on the roof of the building to be rescued, but said emergency workers were unable to evacuate them because of the thick smoke.

It is unclear if anyone else is still trapped inside the building, which reportedly has 156 residential apartments.

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