At least 28 people have been killed in a fire at a shoe factory in southeastern China, according to state media.

The fire in the city of Jinjiang in Fujian province started around noon. According to the Reuters news agency, images from state media showed flames shooting from the large factory and a thick cloud of black smoke hanging in the air. People also appeared to be stuck on the roof. After hours of extinguishing the fire, the fire is now under control.

When the fire broke out, 237 factory workers and two visitors were present in the building. The emergency services were able to remove 213 people from the burning building, two of whom died in hospital. Later, 26 people were found dead in the factory.

President Xi Jinping said, according to state media, that “those responsible must be held strictly accountable.”

Shoe capital

According to initial reports, the fire started on the ground floor of the factory. The fire was able to spread quickly because a lot of highly flammable material for making shoes was stored there.

A fire brigade official told state broadcaster CCTV that shoe parts were piled up in the stairwells, making it much more difficult to reach and extinguish the fire.

State media Xinhua reports that the factory owner and other executives have been arrested and the company’s bank accounts have been frozen.

There are many shoe factories in Jinjiang, which is why the city is also called the shoe capital of China.