China fire kills 17 migrant workers: Reports

Beijing, Feb 4: At least 17 migrant workers died early today as fire raged through their sleeping quarters in China's southeastern province of Zhejiang, Chinese media said.

A number of others were injured as the blaze swept through 13 rooms housing labourers drawn to the booming eastern seaboard from other parts of the country in search of jobs, the semi-official China News Service (CNS) said. The Xinhua news agency put the death toll of the fire in Taizhou City at 17.

Authorities in the coastal city of Taizhou were still trying to establish what caused the blaze in the two-storey structure, where the migrants lived above a store, reports said. CNS said it took 15 fire engines and 60 firefighters to douse the flames.

China has an estimated 120 million migrant workers, many of whom abandoned harsh livelihoods in the countryside in hopes of finding a job in the booming cities.

Many find they still must struggle to eke out a living in the cities, earning paltry sums compared to other urban dwellers.

Reuters